A New Beginning
by mastercrane
Summary: After the loss of her husband, Isabella struggles to move on with her life. It isn't until she meets Ezio Auditore, notorious Assassin and brother of her best friend, that she begins to see change as something positive. EzioxOC Slow Burn
1. Chapter 1

_Isabella felt herself shaking from head to toe. He'd lost so much blood; they were saying he didn't have much time, and yet she couldn't accept it as she looked at him. It wouldn't happen. Not today of all days._

 _"Paulo?" She approached him as he lay on the workbench. His eyes were closed but she could see the staggered rise and fall of his chest. Gently, she reached out and took his hand. It was cold._

 _"Sweetheart," she fought to keep her voice from breaking. Squeezing his hand, she reached forward and lightly brushed his hair from his sweat-covered face._

 _Slowly, he turned his head towards her and opened his eyes. Despite the clear discomfort he felt, his expression relaxed into a smile when his gaze fell on her._

 _"Hello my love." His voice was rough._

 _"How're you feeling?" She asked shakily, returning his smile as best as she could. She knew it was a stupid question, but it felt like the right thing to ask._

 _"I've been better," he replied with a small smile. "But at least I have a beautiful view."_

 _Isabella couldn't help but smile back weakly; even at his worst, Paulo found time to be funny and charming._

 _After a small moment, he seemed to sober; his face somewhat blank as he turned his gaze to the ceiling._

 _"Isabella..." He paused, taking a shaky breath. "I...If I die-"_

 _"Don't," Isabella's voice caught in her throat and she squeezed his hand, partially for comfort to herself. "You won't."_

 _"I want you to find someone," Paulo continued, his gaze turning back to her. There was none of his usual humour in his expression. "I don't want you to be on your own."_

 _A tear escaped down her cheek and Isabella quickly caught it with her free hand._

 _"Don't be silly," she tried to make her voice light, but it shook so terribly that her words were garbled. "I won't be alone, you'll be with me."_

 _Tears pooled in Paulo's eyes._

 _"I love you, Isabella."_

 _She could feel her heart breaking as she saw the fear in his eyes. She couldn't convince herself that he'd be alright anymore._

 _"I love you too," she replied with a painful sob. "I'll always love you."_

 _She couldn't breathe. The pain was too much._

"Isabella?"

She jumped, blinking back the familiar sting of tears in her eyes before turning away from the window.

"Hm?" She did her best to sound aloof, though she wasn't sure why she bothered. Claudia noticed everything.

The Madame was stood by her desk, her expression concerned.

"Are you alright?" She asked somewhat carefully. "You seem distracted."

Isabella immediately gave her a false smile. "I'm fine, just thinking about my errands for the day."

She knew it was pointless to lie. Claudia's observant nature aside, it was obvious what was on her mind - it was always the same thing. But she hated talking about it, especially at the beginning of the day.

Claudia opened her mouth momentarily, her expression still worried, before closing it again. Stoically, she walked over to the window and looked out of it with a breezy sigh.

"I have so much to do today, I don't know how I'm going to get through it."

Isabella felt a strong surge of thankfulness for her friend's lack of prying, and for the change of subject.

"Perhaps we should trade, I have to go to the slums today and the guards are always patrolling."

"Ah, then I'll stop complaining." Claudia grinned. "Will I be seeing you later?"

Isabella couldn't help but return her smile. "Of course."

The Madame gave another light sigh, her happy expression wavering somewhat. "Mother will be pleased, she needs a distraction. She keeps hoping Ezio will drop by."

It was Isabella's turn to look sympathetic. Maria often hoped her son would visit, and he never did. Isabella herself had never met the Infamous Ezio, despite knowing his relatives for just over a year. He was always far too busy according to Claudia, and his schedule was ever-changing, but Isabella found herself somewhat annoyed at him on behalf of his mother who was not getting any younger or healthier as time went by.

"Perhaps he will soon," she replied dutifully, never wishing to add to her friend's exasperation.

Claudia shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly, though the sadness was clear on her face. "Let's hope so."

Quickly, Isabella got up from her seat and wrapped her friend in a quick side-hug.

"I'll be back later," she said as brightly as possible. "We can spend the evening getting beaten by your Mother at cards as usual."

The Madame let out a little laugh, patting Isabella's arm fondly.

"Alright, try to have a good day."

It was with a slightly less miserable disposition that Isabella left the Rosa in Fiore and made her way slowly towards one of the poorer area of Rome. Claudia always seemed to cheer her up well enough to cope with the workings of every day life.

It was only until she let her mind wander that her mood would darken, and unfortunately, her mind wandered frequently when there was nobody around to distract her.

It was just so difficult; even after two years, she still missed him as if it were yesterday. It still _hurt_ as if it were yesterday.

Everyone had told her that grief would pass. That time heals all wounds and that it would hurt less and less when she thought about it. But to Isabella it felt as though her grief was a constant companion.

It was often that she wondered whether she'd ever be truly happy again. Perhaps her old self had died too.

With much difficulty, she attempted to shift these dark thoughts out of her mind as she arrived at the slums of Rome. The people she helped had troubles enough of their own, and she didn't need to act as a dark cloud over them.

Isabella was a healer, and often travelled around the city to those who could not make their way to other doctors.

Her business came mostly from the poorer city folk given that she was a woman, and therefore assumed to be less competent than her male counterparts - something she resented strongly.

However, although her work was messy, stressful and not particularly lucrative, she enjoyed it all the same. It was rewarding, and a good distraction - and due to being continuously funded by her rather wealthy brother, money was not an objective for her.

She was lucky, she told herself, luckier than most; even if it did not always feel that way.

As expected, Isabella's day was a long and busy one - but despite a few difficult ailments, and the occasional lurking Borgia guard, she found herself distracted enough to somewhat enjoy the nice weather and the fruitful conversations she received from her patrons. It wasn't until she had finished her work for the day and began to make her way back to the Rosa in Fiore that she found her dark mood creeping once more. She sighed miserably to herself as she walked, far too familiar with the feeling of sadness to try and fight it. She was so tired of it all.

Needing a moment of composure as a small lump rose in her throat, she stopped at the bridge closest to the Rosa on her route. Clutching the barrier, she stared out at the rippling water below her and took a few deep, soothing breaths. She just needed to get past this moment of sadness, and then she would be able to greet Claudia without inducing questions or concern.

Without warning, she felt a strong force shove her to the side causing her to clumsily stumble. Quickly reaching out and grabbing hold of the bridge barrier she had been stood in front of, she righted herself and looked up indignantly - furious at whomever had pushed her so rudely.

Fear immediately stopped her in her tracks. Her attacker was a Borgia guard, and a particularly unfriendly looking one at that.

"I-" she started nervously, ready with an apology - though she had done nothing wrong. But the guard's face stopped her words, and she felt her fear mingle with a hint of concern.

His expression, though furious looking, was blank and unfocused. Isabella noted that his eyes were dilated, and a sheen of sweat made his face glisten in the sunshine. Clearly this man was ill.

"Are...are you alright sir?" She asked, unable to repress her medical concern. "You look unwell."

His black eyes flitted side to side for a moment, before focusing somewhat on Isabella as she spoke.

"You..." His speech was heavily slurred. "You're with them?"

"With who?" Isabella responded confused. Her fear began to creep back slowly with the assumption that this man was drunk.

"You're with them!" He suddenly shouted, making Isabella jump and several passers-by stop - though none of them made to interject.

"I-I'm sorry, I don't know what you're talking about!" Isabella began to slowly step back from the guard, wondering vaguely if he would be able to chase her should she run.

And suddenly, his sword was drawn and he was pointing it at her, albeit somewhat shakily. The crowds around them erupted into screams of terror and all-too quickly, Isabella and the guard were seemingly alone on the bridge with nobody around to help her.

"I'll show you!" He shouted, and he raised the weapon high.

Isabella had no time to react, and suddenly she was being pushed again, this time away from the guard. Stumbling, she fell to the floor and felt a thrill of panic at the sound of metal clashing with metal. Looking up, she saw that there was now a man stood in front of the guard, and their swords were locked together.

Fear rooted her to the floor and she watched in some horror as her saviour struggled with the afflicted guard before finally shoving him roughly with the hilt of his sword.

With a clang of armour against the stone floor, the guard fell and immediately began to spasm unnaturally, his mouth full of a white foam.

"Oh my god," despite her fears, Isabella shifted quickly towards the man on the floor - her medical training urging her to help him. "What's wrong with him?!"

"He's been poisoned," the man who had rushed to her aid replied with a strangely cavalier tone. He bent down to Isabella's level, looking over the guard who was now turning lifeless before them. "You cannot help him."

"I..." Isabella felt a surge of guilt as she realised his words were true. Borgia guard or not, it was hard to watch a man die this way.

Her saviour reached out his hand to her as if to help her up.

"Are you alright?" He asked kindly, but still with that business-like tone. "He didn't hurt you, did he?"

"No," Isabella replied, finally looking away from the guard to the man who had saved her. She was momentarily shocked by the other's appearance; he was hooded, and after a moment Isabella realised that he was wearing robes belonging to the Assassin order.

Suddenly his rushing to her aid and casual attitude made sense.

Taking his hand for support, she lifted herself from the ground and quickly brushed off any dirt from her dress.

"Thank you," she said after a moment, looking up at the other with a small grateful smile.

"Not at all," the assassin replied, a returning smile just visible under his hood.

Isabella turned to look at the guard once more, now thankful that the streets had almost completely cleared due to the commotion beforehand.

"Should we move him?" She said, unable to hide the pity in her tone.

"No need," the other replied casually. "The other guards will find him soon enough - it would be good for us to move along."

He gestured for her to walk but Isabella stayed where she was, dithering slightly.

"Are you sure we shouldn't...I don't know-"

"Trust me," the other replied calmly, if a little forcefully. "It would do us no good to stick around."

She gave a guilty sigh, knowing he was right. Unable to help herself from doing so, she bent down quickly and closed the dead man's eyes before walking in the direction the Assassin had gestured to.

He followed her, walking alongside.

"Who poisoned him, do you think?" Isabella asked, struggling to stop herself from glancing backwards.

"Possibly a courtesan," responded the assassin. He gave a brief pause before speaking again. "You needn't feel so guilty, he was going to attack you."

"I know, but still," Isabella responded automatically, wondering just how obvious her discomfort was that a complete stranger could tell what she was thinking. "It goes against the grain."

"I suppose it does for a healer," the assassin spoke plainly. It wasn't a question.

Isabella looked up at him with slight surprise.

"How did you-"

"Only an Assassin or a healer would react to death so casually," a small smile was visible underneath his hood. "And I am sure you are not an Assassin."

"Ah," Isabella gave a small laugh, surprising herself in the process. It wasn't often she laughed with strangers, let alone considering the circumstances. "And am I right in assuming that you are one?"

"A smart assumption, what gave it away?" His tone was playful now, and Isabella felt a strange feeling of endearment.

"The outfit, I've seen a few Assassins in my time."

"That's concerning," the other replied, his tone still playful but somewhat disconcerted. "Assassins are supposed to be elusive."

"Oh, it's only because I spend so much time at the Rosa in Fiore." Isabella replied. When the man's head turned to her with a barely visible look of confusion, she continued somewhat embarrassedly.

"To see Claudia! Not for anything...else."

"You know Claudia?" The man's tone was suddenly much brighter and he thankfully seemed to miss Isabella's flustered tone. "How is she?"

"Busy," Isabella replied honestly, knowing that she could trust an Assassin with the truth. "She's terribly overworked with the bordello and taking care of Assassin affairs, not to mention her mother is sick so that does not help things."

"She is?" The Assassin stopped in his tracks so suddenly that Isabella walked a few paces ahead before realising. "What's wrong with her?"

"I..." Isabella felt suddenly concerned; why was he so concerned for Maria? Stepping a little closer to the man who was still rooted to the spot, she attempted to discreetly get a look at his face under the hood. "I'm sorry, who did you say you were again?"

"I didn't," he replied somewhat heatedly, all of his previous good-nature gone. "What did you mean when you said Maria Auditore was sick?"

"She's..." Isabella hesitated, not wanting to share such personal information but unsure of how to make this man drop the subject - in any case he didn't seem like a stranger to the Auditore family. "She's simply getting older. Her mind is going; a few other healers and myself have tried to treat her as best we can but there's not much to be done."

The Assassin swore under his breath and began to walk again, his pace somewhat faster. Isabella began to follow, but soon fell behind him as he practically ran in the direction of the Rosa in Fiore.

And suddenly she knew who he was; it was all-too clear now seeing his reaction to such news. Unless she was very much mistaken, he was Ezio Auditore, infamous Assassin and brother to Claudia.

And she had just informed him rather offhandedly that his mother was sick and there was nothing to be done for her.

Speeding up to catch up with him, Isabella felt somewhat sick. This day seemed to be getting worse and worse.


	2. Chapter 2

Though she knew it was completely irrational, Isabella felt incredibly guilty about delivering the news of Maria's ill health to her son in such an informal way; and because of this, she was now doing her very best to avoid him at all costs.

She knew that a simple apology would clear the air, needed or not needed, and yet she felt a strange intimidation regarding the Assassin which prevented her from speaking to him.

He didn't seem to notice however. Over the course of a week, Isabella had never seen him sitting still or lingering in one place for too long, his work clearly keeping him too busy. But to his credit, since his first visit to the Rosa in Fiore, he had not missed an evening with his Mother who was overjoyed at seeing her son so regularly.

"It is so nice to see him, is it not Claudia?" She had said one morning after he had left (Isabella had strategically excused herself when he entered and came back only after knowing he had gone again).

Claudia smiled at her mother, shuffling playing cards in her hands for a moment before dealing between the three of them.

"It is indeed, it's rare to see him so regularly."

"What do you think of him, Isabella?" Maria turned to her with a serene expression. "You've not met him before, have you?"

"I hadn't, no." Isabella gave a somewhat tight smile. "He seems very nice, indeed."

Of course, she had no real clue of his character since their first meeting, but didn't wish to point out that she was avoiding the Assassin.

"He's a good boy," Maria responded, her expression becoming somewhat distant. "Much like his Father."

"Any eights?" Claudia interjected quickly. Conversations including Maria's dead husband or sons tended to end badly for her well-being, and therefore were avoided as best as possible.

Later that evening when Ezio arrived at the Rosa once again, Isabella felt somewhat sad as she rose from her seat and politely stated that she had to leave. She preferred company during the evening, it tended to keep her constant nightmares at bay, but her nervousness around the Assassin made her wish to leave - and she knew it was probably best to give the small family some time alone together.

"Are you sure Isabella?" Claudia sounded somewhat put out. "They haven't even lit the lamps outside yet."

"I have many things to do," Isabella replied vaguely with a small smile at her friend that she knew would do nothing to placate her.

As predicted, Claudia's expression became somewhat suspicious, but she nodded her head at the other's words.

"Alright, I'll see you out."

"Goodnight Maria," Isabella nodded at Maria with a smile which was graciously returned, and then gave Ezio a small, somewhat nervous head jerk that resembled a nod. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," he replied rather formally. He did not seem angry with her, she thought to herself, and yet she still felt inexplicably nervous as their gaze met - as if she were a teenager about to be chided for misbehaviour.

She prepared herself for an inquisition as she and Claudia left the room and walked across the corridor towards the large main staircase. Sure enough, as soon as they were out of earshot of her rooms, Claudia spoke somewhat concernedly.

"Are you alright?" She kept her voice somewhat hushed, much to Isabella's gratitude.

"I'm fine," Isabella didn't particularly wish to explain her silly worries. "I'm just tired, don't worry."

"You've been very distant lately," Claudia said gently, taking hold of Isabella's arm as they descended the stairs. "Is there anything you want to talk about?"

"Oh Claudia," Isabella felt a strange mingle of annoyance at being unable to hide her emotions with a strong feeling of affection for her friend. She squeezed their linked arms together gently. "Honestly I'm alright. Getting on with things as always."

Truthfully she never truly felt alright. The nightmares she had constantly plagued her thoughts, and her mind seemed to be able to only concentrate on one subject when there was nobody else around to distract her. She felt constantly weary from her feelings and nothing seemed to shift it.

And now with Ezio there, she felt nervous hanging around the Rosa in Fiore - her only sanctuary from this crippling depression - though she knew that her worries were trivial and most probably of her own creation.

But she could not tell Claudia this. It wasn't that the Madame wouldn't understand or sympathise, but Isabella had a hard time articulating the strange way her mind worked nowadays - and she didn't want to worry her friend.

"You know you can talk to me, don't you? Even if it's things I've heard before." Claudia's tone was gentle. They had stopped at the main door and turned to face each other. "I know what grief is like."

"I know," Isabella could not help but smile at the other's kindness. "And likewise, always. But I am fine for now, I promise. Thank you Claudia."

Leaving the Rosa, she took a deep breath of the cool evening air. Her home was not far from the brothel, and she reached it quickly with no troubles. Despite it still being rather light outside, she felt exhausted and immediately collapsed onto a couch in front of the fireplace which had thankfully already been lit before she had arrived and was crackling cosily.

She was tired. So very tired.

 _This was it, today was the day she was going to tell him how she felt._

 _Of course, she had told herself this already on more than one occasion, but this was definitely it. She was tired of the both of them dancing around the subject that was constantly in the air. She was going to tell him how she felt and she hoped, oh goodness how she hoped, that he would tell her he returned the feelings._

 _Exactly on time, a loud knock on the door sounded around the room and Isabella felt her heart leap excitedly. Attempting to keep her cool, she quickly smoothed down her dress and then her hair before speaking with the most casual tone she could muster._

 _"Come in, Paulo."_

 _He entered the room with a grin, clearly pleased that she had already known it was him behind the door._

 _"Hello Isabella, how are you?" His tone was bright and playful._

 _Isabella gave him a smile, she had stopped denying to herself the attraction she felt for him long ago, and yet every day she was still finding new things to admire about him. Everything from the clearly-styled messiness of his hair to the dimples in his cheeks made her heart soar, he was just so beautiful._

 _"I'm very well," she replied, matching his playful tone. "And you?"_

 _With a causal grace, he lifted himself onto the counter in front of her, sitting with his legs dangling off the edge._

 _Quickly, he fixed his expression into one of mock-seriousness._

 _"I think I may be gravely ill, Doctor."_

 _She gave a shrewd smile at this overplayed joke he had once used to gain access to her workplace all those months ago._

 _"Oh?" She pretended, as she always did, to look concerned. "And what exactly is the problem?"_

 _"I'm completely lovesick, I'm afraid." His expression remained serious, and Isabella gave a small and somewhat nervous laugh at his unexpected response._

 _"Oh dear," she replied, continuing to play along although her heart was now thumping even harder than before. Daringly, she stepped towards him and placed her hand to his forehead, pretending to take his temperature._

 _"Hm," she said pensively. "You do have a fever. Though it could just be the plague."_

 _He wrinkled his nose at her joke and she giggled lightly at the expression, making him laugh with her._

 _"Is there anything you can do to help me?" He continued, his expression becoming somewhat serious once again._

 _Isabella thought for a moment of simply kissing him right then and there with their heads so close together and the subject touching, as it always did, on the unspoken feelings between the two of them. She couldn't stand pretending any more, it was driving her mad._

 _But nervousness made her step backwards slightly though she hated moving away from him._

 _"Ah, I'm afraid there's no cure," she said with a mock-solemn tone._

 _His eyes were locked on hers and he gave a very small smile._

 _"For the plague, or for being lovesick?"_

 _The way he was looking at her made her feel so exposed, but in the most positive way. It was as if he knew exactly what she were thinking._

 _"The plague," she replied with a smile to match his. "For being lovesick, there is only one way to cure it."_

 _Gently he got down from the counter, shortening the space she had made between them by stepping backwards._

 _"So which do I have?"_

 _And suddenly, she could stand it no longer. He was making it perfectly clear what he wanted and she wanted it too - she had never wanted anything more. Closing the gap between them completely, she leaned up towards him and pressed her lips to his._

 _His reaction was instant, and suddenly his arms were around her and he was kissing her with such passion that she felt herself lifted slightly from the ground._

 _It was only after a few minutes which felt like seconds to Isabella that they parted, both of them breathless and with their arms wrapped around each other._

 _Paulo rested his forehead against hers, his smile triumphant._

 _"Thank god," he said with a small laugh. "I was beginning to think you'd never do that."_

 _Isabella laughed with him, his triumphant expression matched on her face. "I never do like to be predictable."_

 _He gave another breathless laugh before drawing her in for another kiss and she reciprocated enthusiastically._

 _She had never been so truly happy._

"Miss Isabella!"

A loud knocking startled Isabella awake so suddenly that her heart began to race erratically. Somewhat dazed, she sat up and looked around for a moment before realising that she had simply fallen asleep in front of the fireplace - a common practise on workdays.

Another series of loud knocks made her jump once more and she quickly rose from her seat, realising what had woken her.

"Miss Isabella please!" A distressed voice called from behind the main door. "There isn't much time!"

Heart racing, Isabella quickly unlocked the door and wrenched it open. Carmen, one of Claudia's most trusted girls, was standing in a bloodstained dress, her hair dishevelled and her feet bare.

"Miss Isabella I am so sorry but it is an emergency, Madame Claudia has sent for you right away!"

"Slow down Carmen," Isabella kept her tone soothing but fear suddenly struck her, had something happened to Claudia or her mother? "What happened, what's wrong?"

"It's Sir Ezio, Miss. We believe he's been poisoned!"

Medical instinct kicking in, Isabella quickly turned herself away from Carmen and ran towards the large chest she kept in the foyer. Opening it, she quickly took hold of all the antidotes for poison she owned and stuffed them inside a small leather bag.

And then without another moments hesitation, she and Carmen had begun to run towards to Rosa in Fiore.

"How did it happen?" Isabella called breathlessly over the rush of wind as they ran.

"It was Anna!" Carmen responded, her tone shaken and fearful. "She was entertaining a nobleman when he suddenly became aggressive. Sir Ezio stepped in and took care of him, but he was scratched by the man's dagger and now the wound will not stop bleeding!"

Isabella felt a rush of fear. She had witnessed this type of poisoning before, and often it ended badly. She thought of Claudia and Maria losing even more of what little family they had and she felt herself speed up towards the Rosa. She couldn't let that happen, not without doing everything in her power.

They reached the brothel quickly and Isabella found herself fighting through small crowds of courtesans and patrons who had fled the building in the commotion. In the centre of the courtyard was the body of a man Isabella assumed to be Ezio's attacker.

Rushing inside the building, Carmen called out shrilly. "Madame Claudia, Miss Isabella is here!"

Immediately, Claudia appeared at the top of the large staircase, her face stricken with fear.

"Isabella! Thank god, it's Ezio he...he-"

Isabella quickened up the stairs and took her friend's hands in an attempt to calm her.

"It's alright Claudia, take me to him."

In Claudia's rooms there was a small group of Assassins and Courtesans crowded around Ezio whom was slumped in an armchair close to the fire. He was exceedingly pale, and Isabella noticed that any cloth on his arm was stained red. He was awake, but it was clearly a struggle with all of his afflictions.

All previous intimidation of the Assassin seemed to disappear and replace itself with medical instinct, and Isabella rushed forward towards him, her hand going to his forehead which was burning with a temperature.

"Is the pain solely in the wound?" She asked him without wasting time with greetings.

He nodded feebly. "But I feel weak."

"That's the blood loss," Isabella responded softly. "I think I know what poison it is, but I'm afraid the antidote is not a pleasant one."

He grimaced with pain. "Whatever it is cannot be worse than this."

Isabella gave him a sympathetic smile before reaching into her bag and searching through the bottles of poison antidotes she had brought with her.

Finding it quickly, she uncorked it and handed it to him.

"Drink it all, and take care not to choke."

He lifted it to his mouth and drained the small bottle, his face contorting with distaste as he did so.

Isabella turned to Claudia who was still looking rather stricken.

"Can I please have some hot water and bandages brought up? I'll need to tend to his wound."

"Will he be alright?" Claudia asked as she motioned for two of the courtesans in the room to follow Isabella's orders.

"He should be," Isabella turned back to Ezio with a small, comforting smile. "As long as we take care of the wound properly. It'll take a small while for the antidote to take effect, but once it does the bleeding should cease."

"Thank god," Ezio replied somewhat breathlessly, his face still greatly pained.

It took only a few moments for the courtesans to return with water and bandages and immediately Isabella went to work, pushing aside his sleeve and cleaning the blood from the wound.

Claudia spoke rather softly to Ezio. "I need to go and make sure the rest of my girls are alright. Will you be okay?"

"I'm fine," he replied with a kind tone. "But I will make sure you're sent for should something happen."

"Thank you," quickly, Claudia rushed forward and gave her brother a swift kiss to the temple before leaving the room, her courtesans following her.

Ezio addressed the two remaining Assassins in the room. "Can you please take care of the body downstairs before the guards find it? I don't want any of this coming back to the brothel."

"Of course Maestro," the taller of the Assassins replied respectfully. Both of them bowed and then left the room.

And then Isabella realised that she was alone with Ezio, and she was incredibly grateful that she had something medical to concentrate on.

"I'll be done in a moment," she said rather quietly, her awkwardness returning somewhat. "And then I'll just need to wrap up the wound and you can probably get some rest."

"Alright," Ezio responded softly. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Isabella replied with genuine appreciation of his gratitude.

There was a pregnant pause between them as Isabella concentrated as much as possible on her task, before Ezio spoke rather suddenly into the somewhat awkward silence.

"Isabella?"

She lifted her head to look at him, surprised for some strange reason that he even knew her name.

"Yes?"

His expression was inquisitive. "Am I imagining that you've been avoiding me these past few days?"

She immediately felt her face burn hot, and she gave an awkward stutter as she spoke.

"I...I-I don't..."

"You've not spoken a word to me since we first met," Ezio continued. His tone was gentle but it felt like an interrogation. "Whenever I enter a room, you immediately leave. Have I done something to offend you?"

"No!" Isabella's response was somewhat forceful due to her nervousness and she closed her eyes momentarily with a small breath before speaking again. She could not escape him any more, she needed to explain herself.

"I'm sorry. I...well, I had thought I'd offended you, actually."

He looked confused. "How so?"

"Well, I was rather blasé when telling you about your mother's ill health - though you must know I did not do it deliberately. I have been worried that you might think me rude."

Saying her worries out loud made them seem incredibly trivial, and the heat on her face increased somewhat making her look away from his inquisitive gaze to what her hands were doing.

Ezio gave a small, weak chuckle - though it was not mocking in the slightest. "I don't think you're rude. In fact I apologise if I myself was rude that day, the news you gave me made me temporarily forget my manners."

"Don't be silly, your reaction was completely understandable." Despite herself, she raised her head to look him in the eye again. "I don't think you're rude either, of course not."

"Well that's good," Ezio gave another chuckle, his smile rather warm. "So now the air is cleared between us."

Isabella couldn't help but give him a rueful smile, though she was sure the blush on her cheeks was prominent.

"How're you feeling now?" She asked, wanting partially to change the subject and also to not seem a socially inept fool.

He flexed his hand gently, giving a sharp intake of breath as he did so.

"I feel a little stronger, the antidote is working fast."

"You'll still need lots of rest and sustenance," she replied knowledgeably. "It may be a few days before you're well again, I'm afraid. I wouldn't recommend anything strenuous."

"Alright," he replied softly. "Thank you, Isabella. I'm glad to have someone who clearly knows what they're doing healing me."

At that, she couldn't help but beam. Compliments to her medical prowess were something she treasured greatly.

"I do what I can," she replied with modesty. "And I'm happy to help."

It took little time to wrap his arm tightly in bandages and she was happy to see that the bleeding was sparse in comparison to how it had been just twenty minutes previous.

"There, I think I'm done," she said, getting up from her position on the floor and smoothing out her skirts a little. "How does it feel?"

He straightened his arm and winced somewhat, but looked up at her with a smile. "Painful, but much better. Thank you again."

"You're welcome," she replied, giving him a warm smile. She was glad to find that any previous awkwardness had disappeared between them. "If the bleeding increases again, or if the pain becomes too much then send for me immediately. In the mean time, I think I shall head home to sleep. I'd recommend you do the same."

"I shall be sure to," Ezio responded. "Good night, Isabella."

"Goodnight, Sir Ezio."

He raised his good hand at her words. "Please, call me Ezio."

Unexpectedly, Isabella felt her heart warm at this request, and she smiled graciously.

"Alright, Ezio."

He nodded, his expression matching hers. "Isabella."


	3. Chapter 3

The stress from the night before did nothing to ease Isabella's already sparse sleeping schedule, and she awoke rather early with tired eyes and a slight headache.

Thankfully, she had not had any nightmares during the night, but the dream she had had in front of the fire the night before had stayed in her mind and made her miserable and wistful. If only the happy memories were enough, but they only aided in helping her remember what she had lost.

Getting out of bed she gave a slight groan at her own reflection in the mirror at the end of the room.

Once upon a time, she had been something of a beauty - fair skin and hair matched with dark eyes had once gained her much favour with men and boys alike. Now however, her dark eyes were constantly framed with dark circles that came from nights of little to no sleep. Her hair and skin whilst still fair had suffered from a lack of care over the past two years, and where she had once been blessed with a curved figure, she now felt herself too-thin and somewhat haggard.

Throwing on a dress and dragging a comb through her hair, she tried to focus her mind on something positive. She remembered the conversation she had had with Ezio the night previous, and felt a small moment of happiness when she remembered that she no longer needed to avoid the Rosa in Fiore as fervently as she had before.

Vaguely, she wondered how he was fairing after his excursions the night before, and she began to speed up the process of getting ready so as to make sure he was doing fine - though she supposed that no news was good news.

It was still rather early when she left her house, and the streets were only just beginning to bustle with the usual crowds of people.

Reaching the Rosa, she noticed that it was not yet open and hoped that she was not too early - though usually Claudia did not mind if she was. She also noticed that any commotion that had spilled out into the courtyard the night before had been completely eradicated and felt a moment of admiration for her best friend's professional prowess.

Her thought process was interrupted however when the door opened and Ezio stepped out into the courtyard. He was, to Isabella's surprise and somewhat annoyance, dressed in his usual robes and armour. Had she not told him to rest?

Speeding up, she adopted a breezy tone as she addressed the Assassin who had not yet seen her approaching.  
"Good morning, Ezio."

He jumped slightly and looked up, his expression immediately becoming somewhat sheepish as their gaze met.  
"Hello Isabella, I had not expected you to be here so early."

 _"I'll bet you didn't,"_ Isabella thought rather irritably. Being sure to look noticeably annoyed, she folded her arms.  
"Ezio, I do believe I told you that you needed rest after an injury like yours. I did not imagine that, did I?"

He raised his eyebrows at her somewhat cold tone and she felt a moment's trepidation before dismissing it, knowing she was in the right.

Ezio cleared his throat in a dismissive manner. "Well I feel much better this morning, and in any case I have much to do today."

"There may still be poison in your system," Isabella countered. "And you suffered quite heavy blood loss. A few days rest would be the best option for you."

"I said I feel fine," Ezio responded firmly, a little more cold in his tone. He side-stepped her gracefully and made his way towards his horse which was tethered in front of the brothel.

Isabella followed him diligently.  
"Ezio, please-"

"Please do not worry, Isabella. I am a fast healer, and I will be fine." He climbed up onto his horse quickly, but Isabella did not miss the grimace of pain he made after using his injured arm to steady himself.

"Could you please let Claudia know that I have gone to Tiber Island? She was not yet awake last time I checked."

"I-" Isabella went to protest at being used as a buffer to hide his actions from his sister, but he had already begun to ride away from her.

"Pig-headed coward," she muttered without taking much care to be quiet - though she was sure he was too far away already to hear her. "I'll be sure to say I told you so when you come back feeling terrible."

Inside the Rosa, things were bustling and Isabella found Claudia, awake and ready for the day ahead, standing at the top of the foyer staircase. Not yet awake indeed, Isabella felt another stab of irritation, more like he hadn't bothered to check.

"Isabella!" Claudia beamed as the other approached. Her tone was so optimistic that Isabella cursed Ezio once more for making her the bearer of bad news.

"Good morning, Claudia."

"Are you here to see Ezio?" Claudia asked conversationally. "I think he is still in his rooms."

"Actually," Isabella gave an angry sigh. "I saw him outside, he's ridden to the Tiber Island despite my advice not to."

Claudia's expression immediately became stricken.

"You don't think he'll...?" She trailed off, a slight panic in her tone.

"I'm sure he'll be fine," Isabella responded quickly, wishing to console her friend though she knew deep down that she could not be sure of such things. "I am not pleased that he's not resting, but surely he is not so stupid as to danger himself on-purpose."

Claudia's expression did nothing to suggest the opposite of Isabella's words and she felt her stomach squirm unpleasantly. What if he got into trouble and really hurt himself?

"Come," she said with a poor attempt at being breezy, taking Claudia's hands in her own. "Let's go see your mother. Don't worry about Ezio, I promise he'll be fine."

* * *

Isabella stayed at the Rosa for the entire day to take care of Maria whom had taken to her bed with flu. Throughout the day, she wrestled with her worries of Ezio and his injuries, knowing that should the worst happen, Maria would not be able to handle it. She shuddered at the idea of Claudia losing her brother and mother at the same time and prayed that such a thing would never happen.

Ezio did not return throughout the day, and no news arrived of him which Claudia and Isabella both agreed was a good thing. If something happened, it was a certainty that the Assassin's family would be the first to be informed.

Still, they were both rather stricken with worry, and the day was a somewhat tense one as it progressed.

It was not until the evening when Ezio returned, and Isabella felt herself give an audible sigh of relief when she heard the sound of hooves and glanced out to see the familiar figure in white robes atop his horse riding into the brothel courtyard.

"Is that Ezio?" Maria asked from her bed, her voice hoarse from sickness.

"I believe it is," Isabella replied calmly, as if she were not particularly interested in the subject. She and Claudia had not shared his injuries with his ailing mother.

"Oh good," Maria replied gently, her eyes drooped slightly before she nodded off into relatively peaceful sleep.

Isabella felt a rush of affection for the poor woman and gently tucked the blankets around her, glad that her worries for her and her son were unfounded.

A sudden thump of footsteps echoed outside the room and before Isabella could stand up to tell them to be quiet, Carmen burst through the door.

"Miss Isabella-"

"Sssh!" Isabella whispered furiously, ushering the girl out of the room as best she could whilst checking on her charge. Thankfully, Maria slept on.

Carmen's face was full of worry, but she lowered her voice, glancing at the woman in the bed before speaking again in a hushed tone.

"I'm sorry. Madame Claudia needs you immediately, Sir Ezio is very ill!"

Isabella felt her stomach drop horribly. "But I just saw him ride in."

"He's barely conscious," Carmen replied. "We think he got into some trouble on the way and it has reopened his wound."

Isabella resisted the urge to groan and quickly fetched her medical bag before following Carmen to Ezio's rooms as she had the night previous.

Ezio was laid haphazardly on the bed, and Isabella noticed that a large stain of blood had seeped through his robes on his wounded arm.

Claudia was leaned over her brother and looked up when Isabella entered the room.

"He's delirious," she said with a quiet tone, her voice barely concealing her fear.

Isabella rushed towards him and checked his temperature. His forehead was cold, as was his neck; quickly pulling off the glove on his wounded arm she felt his hand, it too was freezing cold.

"I don't think there's any poison left in his system," Isabella said knowledgeably. "He's just lost a lot of blood. I'll need to cauterise the wound."

"Will he be alright?" Claudia's voice was a tiny squeak.

Before addressing her friend, Isabella looked to the few courtesans who were standing in the doorway. "I require an iron rod to be heated over a fire until it's red hot, then bring it to me as quickly as possible and be careful."

When her orders were responded to, she quickly checked Ezio's pulse before moving around the bed to Claudia.

"I promise I'll take care of him, Claudia. I'm doing everything I can."

Wordlessly, and with fear etched into every part of her face, Claudia reached out to hold Isabella's hands for support. Isabella squeezed them comfortingly, and moved back to the Assassin on the bed.

"Ezio?" She spoke softly. "Ezio can you hear me?"

She was vaguely glad that he did not respond, it was best that he stayed unconscious for this next part - it was going to be painful.

* * *

It was dark outside by the time Isabella had finished treating the wound which was now closed on Ezio's arm, but was covered with angry burns which had fused the skin together. He had stayed unconscious the entire time which had been a mercy at first, but became more and more worrisome as time progressed.

Claudia had stayed with Isabella as she took care of the Assassin, and sometime in the long hours of nothing happening, she had dozed off in her chair and Isabella had not had the heart or felt the need to wake her.

She sat in silence on Ezio's bedside, adjusting the many blankets she had wrapped around him before lifting herself slightly to check his temperature. He had warmed considerably, and she took this for a good sign.

His eyes opened so suddenly that she jumped back despite herself.

Immediately, he tried to lift himself up and let out a sharp exclamation of pain as he attempted to put pressure on his arm.

Gently, Isabella took a hold of his shoulders and pushed him back down onto the bed.

"Please stay still," she said softly and calmly. "You're not well."

"Where am I?" He asked, and Isabella felt a moment of worry that he did not remember.

"The Rosa," she said. "You fainted due to blood loss. I'm afraid I had to cauterise the wound. How do you feel?"

"I...I feel better than I did." He blinked a few times, seemingly confused, before turning his head to look at her properly. "You healed me?"

"Well you left me no choice," Isabella said somewhat chidingly, though she couldn't help giving him a small smile to lessen the severity. "Seeing as you would not follow my advice."

He grimaced for a moment, his eyes closed.  
"I'm sorry," he said, and he sounded genuine. "I thought I would be fine. And I was until some guards caused trouble for me on my way back here."

"Well I'm just glad that you got here," Isabella replied honestly, her tone still somewhat strict. "It could've been fatal if you hadn't had medical attention when you did."

He gave her a somewhat sheepish look.  
"I know, I should've stayed." He lifted his head momentarily to look at Claudia asleep in her chair, seemingly aware of her presence. "And I imagine I have caused much stress."

"A little," Isabella replied honestly. "But it'll be fine now that you're safe."

"Thank you, Isabella," his voice was a little stronger and he turned his head to look at her. "It sounds like I would have perished without you."

Strangely, Isabella felt her heart give a strong thump at this and despite herself, she smiled at the assassin.  
"Anytime, though perhaps not as frequently as this."

He gave a weak chuckle. "Damn, I do feel rather foolish."

Isabella laughed softly.  
"I'm not going to say I told you so." Her tone was light. It felt strange to be kind to him considering the stress he had put her through, but she found that she could not help if.

"But you were right," he responded, his gaze moving to the arm that was now heavily bandaged. "I should've listened."

She had been rather prepared to be righteous about being right, but he was making it difficult with his penitence.  
"You should've," she replied. "But I appreciate that you admit it."

He gave another laugh, turning his gaze back to her with a slight cheeky grin.  
"Perhaps I am not so pig-headed after all, then?"

Isabella felt a hot blush rise onto her cheeks. So he had heard her angry muttering after all.  
"I...I'm so sorry," she said, turning her gaze away from him with utter embarrassment. "I didn't mean what I said, I was just...just-"

"Angry? Understandably," Ezio interrupted with a good-natured tone. Very slowly, he began to lift himself into a sitting position in the bed. "I was very much a coward this morning."

Isabella kept her mouth shut, suppressing a strange urge to giggle.

Any choice of a response was interrupted by Claudia who shifted in her chair with a small groan before opening her eyes.

"Ezio?" She said before she could really focus on the room.

"I'm here, Claudia. I'm alright." Ezio responded kindly. "No need to worry."

Claudia sat up in her chair, silent for a moment. Suddenly, her expression changed from vague to steely so quickly that it was shocking.  
"There would have been no need to worry at all had you not left in the first place."

"I know," Ezio replied with a tone of understanding. "I've already apologised to Isabella, and I'll apologise to you too."

"We were out of our minds with worry!" Claudia did not raise her voice, but the fierceness of her tone made up for it. "Isabella had to tell me that you'd left because you didn't bother to tell me yourself! What if you hadn't seen her? You could've died and I wouldn't have even known you'd left!"

"I'm sorry, Claudia." Ezio was rather imploring now. "I didn't mean to worry you."

"I'm just thankful we didn't tell mother, goodness knows what the stress would've done to her if we did." She stood up quickly. "If you don't mind, I think I'll go to bed now I know you're fine. I expect for you to stay for as long as Isabella deems fit, and not a moment out."

"Claudia-"

"Goodnight." She turned to look at Isabella and her expression softened, once again with such speed that it was startling. "Isabella, please stay for as long as you need to. And let Carmen know if you need to stay for the night."

And with that she left, leaving a somewhat awkward silence behind her.

"She's just angry," Isabella said after a moment, unsure of what to do next. "I'm sure she'll be fine by tomorrow."

"You needn't lie for my benefit," Ezio responded rather seriously. When Isabella turned to look at him, he gave her a grim smile. "I know my sister too well."

Isabella gave him a sympathetic smile in return.  
"Try not to stress yourself too much, you've suffered enough."

"I'm glad someone thinks so," Ezio muttered somewhat under his breath, his gaze flitting to the door his sister had just left through before turning back to Isabella. "I'm sorry, this is all terribly rude."

"It's fine," Isabella replied with good-humour. "I have a brother. I know what it's like sometimes."

The Assassin smiled good-naturedly and once again, Isabella felt the urge to smile back.

"I should probably head to bed myself," she said, standing up. "I'll go home, but please send for me immediately if you feel any discomfort and please," she gave him a mock-stern look. "Do not try to leave in the early hours of the morning."

He laughed appreciatively at her playful tone. "I promise I shall not, I've learnt my lesson."

"Good," Isabella replied with a small nod. "Well then, goodnight Ezio."

"Goodnight, Isabella."


	4. Chapter 4

Claudia's anger with her brother had not abated at all overnight - and when Isabella arrived at the Rosa in Fiore early the next morning, the Madame was rather irritable.

"He's fine," she had replied agitatedly when Isabella had gently asked after Ezio. "It's amazing what can be done when he actually listens to the advice of others."

"Claudia..." Isabella wanted to tell her friend that she was being a little too harsh on her brother - but quickly remembered how she herself had not been pushed by the Madame to speak her mind on multiple occasions as of late. And she did understand her anger to a degree - if her own brother had behaved in such a way she would most probably react similarly.

"I'll see to him today, and your mother." She said after a pause. Gently, she reached out and patted her friend's shoulder. "You give yourself some time."

Claudia gave her friend a small, somewhat sad smile. "Thank you Isabella."

Though their previous awkwardness had long since been resolved, Isabella still felt somewhat nervous as she approached the Assassin's rooms. Chiding herself for silliness, she took a deep breath before knocking on the door.

"Ezio? It's Isabella, may I come in?"

"Isabella?" He sounded pleasantly surprised, clearly expecting his sister. "Of course!"

She was met with a smile when she entered the room which she felt compelled to return. She was happy to see that he was looking much healthier than the day before.

"Good morning!" She said brightly, surprising herself somewhat with her breezy tone. "How're you feeing?"

"Better," the Assassin responded good-naturedly, gingerly moving his bandaged arm back and forth to iterate his point. "It appears that listening to you has it's benefits."

Isabella gave a soft laugh at his joke. "I have heard that following a doctor's orders is usually the best route."

He chuckled appreciatively. "And how are you?"

"I'm fine," Isabella replied automatically. It was far too early in their friendship to be honest. She picked up the roll of bandages that had been left on the room's armoir the night previous. "I'll re-wrap the wound and see how it's looking - hopefully you shouldn't have to be bed-bound much longer."

"Good," Ezio replied rather quietly. "It'd probably be best to get out of Claudia's hair sooner rather than later."

Isabella gave him a sympathetic smile, though she was beginning to feel that this argument between them was a little silly. She sat down on the side of the bed and gestured wordlessly for the Assassin to extend his arm, which he did.

"Have you spoken to her?" She asked somewhat carefully as she worked. "Since last night, I mean."

"Briefly," he replied with a deep sigh. "She entered the room, asked if I was alright and then left as soon as I answered that I was."

He winced slightly as Isabella unwrapped the old bandages from his arm and inspected the wound.

"I just wish she would talk to me. I don't fully understand why she is so angry, I know I acted a fool but-"

He stopped speaking abruptly, shaking his head. "I apologise, I'm being rude."

"You're not, do not worry," Isabella replied with another sympathetic smile. Clearly he needed to vent his frustrations to someone.

He looked down at his arm which the other was still inspecting. "What's the diagnosis?"

"It doesn't look as if it's reopened, thank goodness. Though you won't be able to do anything vigorous with it for a few weeks at least." She gave him a grim smile. "But its healing, and there's barely any bleeding."

"I'll have to stick to desk work then I suppose," the Assassin replied rather good-naturedly. "My associate Machiavelli will be pleased."

"I'm sorry," Isabella responded automatically, detecting the sarcasm at the end of his sentence. He immediately looked up at her with an apologetic expression.

"You don't need to apologise Isabella, god knows what would've happened to me without you." He smiled graciously.

Isabella felt a strange swoop of emotion and her smile grew despite herself. She was glad to be getting along so well with him.

She spent the day flitting between all three members of the Auditore family. Maria was still suffering from the flu and only needed to be checked on every few hours, and Claudia was rather busy with the workings of Rosa. This left Isabella with a lot of time to spend with Ezio, and as the day progressed, she realised that she very much liked the Assassin's company. He was a rather fascinating conversationalist, having many stories of his travels - and Isabella quietly marvelled at the way he made his job sound so pleasant.

She had been listening intently to him talk about his recent journey to Tuscany when he had shaken his head good-naturedly.

"But I've been talking about myself all day," he smiled kindly. "What about you?"

"Me?" Isabella felt a rush of heat rise to her face, and she clenched her hands in her lap. She never liked to let the conversation fall on herself - all her stories led to dangerous territories about her past; and the last thing she wanted to do was break down in front of someone she had only known for a few days. "I'm afraid I've never been anywhere as interesting as you have."

"Where are you from?" He asked conversationally, not seeming to notice her distress. "Claudia mentioned you moved here from somewhere else."

"Venice," Isabella swallowed a lump in her throat. Even the simple potential of talking about her past was enough to upset her it seemed.

"Ah, a beautiful city. I haven't been there in so long." He responded, still thankfully oblivious to Isabella's agitated manner. "What made you want to come to Rome?"

"I..uh, just wanted a change of scenery." Isabella's voice shook terribly with the lie and she gave a small cough in an attempt to hide it. Getting up from her seat, she moved towards the curtain behind her in the pretence of adjusting it so as to face away from the Assassin. "My...my brother i-is a thief and he arranged for me to move here where the Assassin order would be close by."

"And that's how you met Claudia," Ezio responded knowledgeably. Isabella had thought she had successfully hidden her distress from him, but then he spoke again. "Are you alright?"

"Yes," Isabella replied, inwardly composing herself before turning back to her seat. "The light was in my eyes. I'm fine."

She gave him a smile, trying to seem normal.

The Assassin surveyed her somewhat concernedly. "Are you sure?"

She gave him an overly enthusiastic nod. "Yes, of course."

He surveyed her for a moment before thankfully changing the subject, much to Isabella's relief.

At the end of the day she bid Ezio goodnight and made her way to Claudia's rooms, wondering vaguely if the Madame had dealt with her anger yet. As she walked across the foyer corridor she almost collided with Anna, a young and rather bawdy courtesan who worked at the Rosa.

"My apologies, Miss Isabella!" She said with a friendly tone that sounded suspiciously false.

Isabella gave the other a stiff smile; she had never much cared for Anna, finding that their personalities seemed to clash.

"That's alright." She said, attempting and failing to pass the courtesan who was blocking the path.

"I see you've been spending a lot of time with Sir Ezio today," Anna said, clearly unaware of the other trying to get past her. There was something in her tone that Isabella didn't like. "Lucky you!"

"Lucky?" Isabella knew better than to engage in the other's antics, but felt rather confused by the statement.

"Yes well," Anna gave a theatrical look around her before speaking. "He's rather handsome, isn't he?"

At this, Isabella felt a hot blush rise to her face - praying that Ezio could not hear this conversation from his room, she edged further away from his door instinctively.

"I have merely been tending to his wound."

"You don't agree?" The courtesan pressed, a slight grin playing on face.

For some strange reason, the girl's words made Isabella feel irrationally angry. Why should she care what Ezio looked like? She was his doctor, and his friend. And any insinuation that she may be paying interest to anyone other than Paulo felt like a great insult. No man would ever be her husband; so why bother taking in how they looked?

"I hadn't noticed," she replied through somewhat gritted teeth.

"Of course," Anna gave a solemn nod, the effect of which was ruined by a grin on her lips. "I understand."

"I-" Isabella was about to argue, but knew it was pointless. The courtesan had somehow gotten it into her head that the two of them were being coy - and would not drop the subject if persisted.

"Will you excuse me please, I need to talk to Claudia."

She resisted the urge to shove past the other and patiently waited for her to step aside before walking to Claudia's office and entering.

Claudia was pacing her room, a note in her hands which she was reading so intently that Isabella had to cough to make her presence known.

"Hello Isabella," she said kindly but somewhat absently, continuing to read. "How is my fool of a brother?"

Isabella resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "He's fine, much better now. I do think he'll be able to leave soon, though he won't be able to do much physical work for a while."

"Good," Claudia replied a little forcefully as she finished the note and dropped it onto her desk. She walked over to her seat by the fire and gestured for the other to join her. "That'll teach him."

"Claudia..." Isabella began somewhat chidingly as she took a seat next to her friend. "I understand your anger with him, but do you not think this is a little too much?"

"Not at all," Claudia responded rather heatedly, leaning back in her seat and turning her gaze to the fire in front of them. "I'm not the one risking my life foolishly for the sake of work. And I cannot believe you would take his side."

"I'm not!" Isabella responded defensively, stung by the accusation. "I'm merely saying that he's learnt his lesson-"

"He hasn't!" Claudia argued heatedly, shocking Isabella with her change in demeanour. "You don't understand, this has been going on for decades! Countless times he risks leaving us behind, leaving me behind! I'm so tired of being frightened all the time!"

She whimpered slightly before sobering, and came forward to cup her hands to her face.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm so sorry I didn't mean-"

"It's alright," Isabella came out of her seat and crouched next to the Madame, affectionately brushing her hair back. "You're worried about what will happen when it is just you and him." It was not a question, her friend's distress was now all too obvious.

Unexpectedly, Claudia gave a gentle sob and uncovered her face to look at the other.

"With my family, it's all about the Brotherhood." Her watery gaze became somewhat distant. "We always put duty first. My Father, Brother and Uncle did just that - and look what happened to them. Even we who survived paid a price for it and...and I'm so tired of it, Isabella. I understand that it's important but I can't bear to lose anyone else to this cause."

"Claudia, you need to talk to Ezio." Isabella replied, taking the Madame's hands and giving them a gentle squeeze. "He has no clue about all this, and perhaps it would constructive for him to hear it."

"He has no clue about a lot of things," she gave a small laugh through her tears, and Isabella could not help but join her.

A gentle knock on the door caused them both to jump and Claudia immediately stood from her seat, wiping her eyes quickly.

"Come in," she said with a business-like tone. It was startling the way she could change her disposition so quickly.

Carmen poked her head around the door. "Madame Claudia, La Volpe has come to speak with Sir Ezio - I came to make sure it was okay to let him in."

"Of course," Claudia replied good-naturedly, Isabella noticed her subtly wipe at her face again. "Take him straight to Ezio's rooms."

The courtesan nodded and left the room again. Claudia tiredly fell back into her seat, leaning over and giving the other a pat on the hand.

"Thank you Isabella," she said with a small, sad smile.

"For what?"

"For being my shoulder to cry on," the Madame replied. "I'm not sure how I've survived without you in the past."

"Likewise," Isabella replied with a genuine smile.

The two spent a while talking about the day. Claudia seemed a little less irritable after letting out some of her emotions, though Isabella felt it may be too soon to ask if the Madame was actually going to speak to her brother. Time would tell, though the doctor thought that these feelings needed desperately to be aired.

After an hour of talking and light dinner in Claudia's office, another soft knock sounded on the door.

This time a hooded man opened the door when Claudia permitted entrance.

"Claudia, I just wanted to thank you for letting me visit at this late hour." He said, giving the Madame a short bow, which she returned with a smile.

"No trouble at all, La Volpe. I hope you have a good evening."

"And you as well," he responded. And then, much to her surprise, he turned to Isabella. "Miss Isabella, Ezio asked if you might visit him before you leave for the evening."

"I...of course," Isabella said, stumbling on her words slightly from the surprise of being addressed personally by one of the most well-known thieves in Italy. "Thank you for the message."

"I wonder what he wants?" Claudia said rather absently, closing the door after La Volpe had taken his leave.

"Probably just something to do with his arm." Isabella replied. "I should see to him and then go, it's getting late."

Ezio was out of bed and pacing the room when Isabella entered the room.

"Isabella, thank you for coming. I hope I'm not delaying you at all." He smiled kindly.

"Not at all," Isabella replied, curious as to why he wanted to speak to her. "Is there anything wrong?"

"No, no I just needed some advice regarding my arm." He looked somewhat sheepish, as if he were worried he was about to be chided. "You see, I need to leave tomorrow - but I want to be sure that you think it's not a danger to my health."

Isabella was unable to stop herself giving a soft laugh. "Not wishing to be told off again, I wager?"

He laughed with her. "A little. But mostly I don't wish to hurt myself again and end up back in the same trouble."

"Well," Isabella stepped closer to him and gently took his arm without much thought, pushing back the sleeve to inspect the bandages for blood. "It doesn't seem to have reopened, and the poison is definitely out of your system. If you can promise me that you'll avoid getting into any trouble that may aggravate the wound, I don't see why you couldn't leave."

She looked up at him with a humoured smile and felt an odd jolt when she realised that his gaze was fixed onto her face.

As she looked up at him, she suddenly found herself thinking about Anna's comments on the Assassin's handsomeness. As forward as the young courtesan's words might have been it was hard to deny them - Ezio was certainly attractive. His face was mature, but still retained some boyish qualities which must have made him popular as a younger man. He was tall, but not unusually so - and he looked strong. His eyes were also intriguing, an odd colour, and rather intense.

These intrusive thoughts surprised her, it was not often she noticed the attractiveness of the opposite sex nowadays - no face was ever the face she craved to see, so what was the point? But for the first time in years, here she was assessing the attractiveness of the man in front of her.

Inwardly, she cursed Anna and her silly comments for making her think strange, inappropriate things.

Ezio moved his gaze from her to his arm, bringing her thoughts back to the matter at hand.

"I cannot promise for sure," he replied with a slight frown. "But I can do my utmost best to avoid the guards and any other trouble."

Isabella felt herself dither somewhat. She knew that there would be a small risk in letting Ezio leave, but also knew that it was most inconvenient for him to stay. She considered it for a moment before speaking.

"Perhaps you should have a guard or two escort you, just for safety."

He raised his eyebrows, clearly considering her words. "That's a very good idea, why didn't I think of that?"

Isabella felt her smile grow. "I don't think it's in your usual nature to require assistance."

He smiled, his gaze lowering to the floor momentarily.

"Caught onto that, did you?" He said quietly, with a tone of genuineness that Isabella had not heard from him before.

"Well then, if that's agreed upon then I should make arrangements."

Isabella nodded. "And be sure to send for me should you need my skills again, though I pray you won't."

"As do I, if that's not insulting to say." He said with a chuckle. "Thank you again Isabella, you have been a great comfort to me today."

As Isabella had the day before, she felt her heart once again thump at his kind words and she smiled.

"You're welcome, and thank you for being such good company."

"Likewise," he replied, smiling back.


	5. Chapter 5

_Time seemed to move in slow motion as she watched the guard fall in front of her. Still impaled upon the sword she had thrust into his stomach, he collapsed onto his side - blood seeming to pour from him from every angle._

 _She didn't have time to think about what she had just done. Laying next to the guard she had just killed and bleeding almost as much was Paulo, whose eyes were wide with fear._

 _"Hang on!" Isabella half-shouted instinctively as she knelt down to him, her voice several octaves higher than usual and full of fear. "Hang on my love, stay with me."_

 _Paulo was convulsing, his hands shaking over hers which were trying to press upon the wound on his stomach._

 _"I-Isabella-" he choked out, his eyes wide and panicked._

 _Isabella couldn't focus, there was so much blood. How could there be so much blood? An eternity was passing and yet she was doing nothing, helping nobody._

 _"I-I don't know what to do!" She shrieked, knowing that her panic was not helping him and yet it was impossible to hide. "I need to find a doctor!"_

 _As forcefully as she could manage, she took hold of his hands and pressed them down upon his wound. He cried out in pain._

 _"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" Isabella sobbed, reaching out to stroke his face comfortingly and smearing his cheek scarlet as she did so. "You need to keep pressure on the wound, I'll go find someone."_

 _He looked at her, unable to speak through the pain, and yet she could read his expression perfectly._

 _"I'm coming back!" She choked through her tears. "I'm coming back and you'll be fine! Do not worry sweetheart, I love you!"_

 _She bent down quickly and kissed his forehead, dutifully ignoring the blood._

 _"I love you," she repeated before getting up and running in the direction of the thieves guild which she knew was close by. All the while desperately ignoring the fear that told her that she'd never see her husband alive again._

Isabella awoke with a start, tears already falling down her face. Instinctively, she brought her fist to her mouth and bit down hard, wanting to stifle the strangled cries that were coming from her. The pain was barely noticeable as she drew blood over the back of her hand.

Her nightmares were still painfully regular, some of them exaggerations and terrifying illusions, others just the memories of terrible events. No matter what they were, they caused her great pain, anxiety and tears.

The one she had just had was one of the worst - particularly because as horrific as it was, it was all reality. Though she had had the knowledge and skills to do so, she had been unable to save Paulo on that terrible night.

Her muffled sobs echoed around the dark room and she fought hard to stop them, not wanting to give in to her misery as she had in the past - it never helped. After a small while, she had managed to stifle herself somewhat; and she slowly sat up in bed, bringing her knees up to hug them to her chest.

Would she ever get past this? How did people live with their grief? She knew it was possible and yet she couldn't understand how to do it. She had lost her mother as a teenager, and lived through that; and yet the loss of Paulo haunted nearly every moment she had - waking and sleeping.

Perhaps she would suffer for the rest of her life, it was beginning to seem that way.

She was still tired, but knew that sleeping was out of the question now. Climbing out of bed with some strain, she stretched, all the while working hard to not cry again, a difficult feat.

She focused her mind on other things, concentrating on that fact that she would be seeing Claudia in a few hours who always helped these feelings of dread and sadness.

As she thought of the Madame, she wondered vaguely if the argument between her and Ezio had been resolved yet. Claudia clearly had much on her shoulders, and although Isabella was sure that the Assassin did not mean to act insensitively towards his family, she thought that it may be constructive for him to be made aware of his sister's feelings.

She found herself hoping that Claudia would not be too hard on him however, knowing that he was a good man and meant well.

It was strange, she found herself thinking randomly, how she had found herself a friend of the man whom the entire country saw as public enemy number one. All those times she had heard his name, seen his posters, and now she was worried about his well-being in regards to a fight with his younger sister.

She found herself smiling at this fact and was surprised by the sensation. Finishing with her stretches, she delicately wiped her tears from her face - concentrating on the sudden feeling of amusement and trying to hold onto it for as long as possible as she got ready for the long day ahead.

It would be a good idea to keep in touch with Ezio if he was always going to be such a good distraction from her feelings.

* * *

She stepped out of the Rosa into the sunshine, still feeling a little delicate, but much better after spending time with Claudia.

The Madame had not mentioned speaking to her brother and Isabella took this to mean that the two had not interacted since the last time she was in residence. She tried not to feel too exasperated with her friend or the Assassin; feelings such as theirs were delicate, and seeped in years of history - it would take a while to resolve.

She began her walk to the western part of the city where she planned to conduct her work for the day. It was hard to keep her negative feelings at bay, so she concentrated hard on her upcoming tasks in an attempt to distract herself. Just leaving the square of the Brothel, she noticed a familiar figure in white robes ahead of her. A stab of anger sparked through her when she noticed that said figure was alone.

"Ezio!" She exclaimed, a little more heatedly than she intended.

The Assassin stopped and turned on the spot. As Isabella approached him she was infuriated when he smiled warmly.

"Good morning Isabella," he said rather brightly.

"I thought you were going to have a guard with you," Isabella blurted, her hands on her hips as she stopped to survey him with enough contempt as she could muster.

Irritating her further, Ezio chuckled at her expression.

"Do not fret-"

"You swore you weren't going to do anything stupid!" Isabella interrupted angrily.

Ezio raised his hands placatingly. Gently, he reached out and turned Isabella so that she was facing the large set of buildings next to them.

"I have a guard, look." He pointed upwards and sure enough, Isabella spotted two men dressed similarly to the Assassin crouched down on the rooftops. "We try not to move together in crowds, it looks rather suspicious when we do."

Isabella felt her face heat up slightly. "Oh."

Ezio chuckled again. "I am not so stupid that I would ignore your advice twice, now I'm doubly glad I didn't."

"I'm sorry," Isabella burbled quietly, thoroughly embarrassed. "I just didn't want you to-"

"You needn't apologise," Ezio responded good-naturedly. "You're just being a concerned doctor, as is your right."

"Well, now I've acted a fool - I should probably leave you to your business." Isabella forced herself to look the Assassin in the eye despite her discomfort.

"Where are you headed?" Ezio asked conversationally, his expression still rather amused.

"The Western Centro District," Isabella replied.

"I am headed not far from there, perhaps we could walk together? It might be beneficial to keep you close by."

"So long as I do not shout at you any more, you mean?" Isabella responded with humour, giving a small embarrassed laugh at herself. "That would be lovely."

As it had during Ezio's confinement, their conversation flowed whilst they walked. After the onslaught of bad dreams, it was good for Isabella to have a distraction as she walked to her work - her mind was unable to wander with such an interesting and amusing conversationalist.

However, it was hard not to notice Ezio's slightly downcast mood. He was polite and kind as usual, but there was less of the upbeat tone that Isabella had become familiar with the previous day.

"Have...you spoken to Claudia today?" Isabella asked carefully - she had a feeling that this was probably what was bothering him.

Sure enough, Ezio gave a laboured sigh. "Briefly. I think she is angry with me for leaving."

"Oh, did she say so?"

The Assassin shook his head. "No, but it was clear by her attitude. When I told her I'd been given the clear to leave she stormed off without saying goodbye."

Isabella gave a grimace. She knew Claudia would not be angry at her for letting Ezio leave with a guard, but it did not feel good to be adding to her friend's upset.

"I'm sure she didn't..." she trailed off, not able to think of a way to explain around the Madame's behaviour.

Ezio gave a grim chuckle. "In all honesty I'm slightly afraid to return. I may have to avoid her for the next few days until she cools off."

"That's definitely not the answer," Isabella's tone was somewhat nagging and she quickly continued, not wishing to come across as impertinent yet again. "I think what you both need is to talk to one another. She's stubborn but I know for a fact there are a few things she wants to tell you."

"Oh?" Ezio seemed unperturbed by the other's interference and more curious at her words. "What has she said?"

"I cannot tell you," it seemed incredibly disloyal to speak her friend's truths for her when Ezio could easily ask for himself. "If you talk to her I'm sure she'll tell you, and no doubt you can tell her how you feel as well."

The Assassin was silent for a few moments and Isabella found herself worrying that she had been too forward - it was strange, normally she was not so opinionated, there was something in Ezio that brought it out in her.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly after a few more moments of silence. "I'm poking my nose where it doesn't belong."

"No," Ezio's response was so sincere it caught the other off-guard somewhat. "I appreciate your honesty, and you're right."

Isabella gave him a small smile, feeling that familiar rush of emotion that she was beginning to associate with the Assassin's company.

"I just want to help you both; Claudia means very much to me and I know family is important to her."

"To me as well," Ezio's tone darkened for a brief moment before he smiled at the other. "I'll be sure to take your advice, it's been most reliable to this point."

The two of them continued towards their destinations together, keeping light conversation as they did so. Isabella noted with some happiness that Ezio's disposition had improved somewhat, and was glad that she had been able to help somewhat.

After a short while, and thankfully with no troubles, they arrived at the tall building by Tiber Island that Isabella knew to be the Assassin's guild.

"Are you sure you don't need me to escort you to where you need to be?" Ezio asked after Isabella mentioned parting ways.

Strangely, although she had no need of an escort, she briefly considered agreeing to his words. His company was a welcome one, and she enjoyed it greatly. But it seemed silly to inconvenience him when the district was only a few streets away.

She shook her head with a smile. "I should be fine, but thank you."

He nodded good-naturedly. "Feel free to pass by here on your way home, I'll be around until the evening."

Isabella felt her smile grow. It was good to know that her friendly feelings towards the Assassin were mutual.

"I will," she replied.

As she made her way to the district, she found her cheeks ached slightly from smiling. It was an unfamiliar feeling and she was taken aback by it slightly, but it kept her mood lifted enough so that when she arrived at her destination, her thoughts had not darkened once.

* * *

It had been a long and exhausting day, and having only had a limited amount of sleep the night before, Isabella was rather dead on her feet. Vaguely, as she slowly meandered back along the path she had taken that morning, she wondered if her tiredness would mean a lack of nightmares that night. After hoping briefly that it would, she quickly tried to change her train of thought as said nightmares came to the forefront of her memory.

She knew a distraction would help keep the bad thoughts at bay, and so despite her tiredness, she still made her way back towards the Assassin's Guild in the hopes that she might see Ezio. It was strange how quickly she'd come to like the Assassin, normally she was a little more guarded, but she enjoyed his conversation and company - the fact that he kept her distracted was just an added bonus.

She approached the large guild building with a sense of awkwardness, wondering if she would seem strange if she lingered around. Vaguely, she found herself wishing she'd had more of a plan with Ezio of when and where to meet - she didn't particularly want to knock on the door or pull him away from anything just so that she herself would have company to walk with.

After a few moments of dithering, she decided to give up and go home alone. She would see the Assassin later and if she walked quickly, she would be in the company of Claudia soon enough.

She had just begun to walk away from the Tiber Hideout when she heard her name called from behind her.

She turned and found herself smiling again. What impeccable timing the Assassin had.

"Hello Ezio, I was just about to head back to the Rosa."

He approached her with a smile to match her own. "Perfect, so was I."

They kept up light chatter as they walked. Isabella told him about the many clients she had dealt with that day and what her work involved. He in turn explained some of his own business, though she could tell it was abbreviated somewhat - most probably because some of the details involved unsavoury details.

The path home was a rather crowded one. Many people pushed through the crowds in their eagerness to get home from a long day of work. Isabella found herself struggling to keep co-ordinated; she was always rather clumsy with large groups of people.

Clearly her struggle was evident because Ezio held out his arm for her to take.

"Need help?" He asked in a teasing but good-humoured manner.

Isabella held onto him without any hesitation, and only realised how out of character that was for her until they were walking together, much quicker this time, through the crowds. Her guard seemed to be truly down with Ezio, and she vaguely realised that she liked that feeling.

The two were silent for a moment as they walked through the crowds but when they finally reached a less busy part of the path and Isabella unclasped her arm from his, the Assassin spoke rather gently.

"Isabella, do you mind if I ask what happened to your hand?"

She felt her stomach drop as her gaze fell on the hand which was covered with nasty marks from when she had bitten into it the night previous to stop herself screaming.

Immediately, she pulled her sleeve down to cover the hand, trying and failing to sound blasé as she replied.

"Oh, I just um, I..." she tried to think of something to explain the marks away but her mind went blank as it usually did whenever she tried to lie without warning.

After a moment's pause, she knew it was better to be honest. "I had a nightmare, and I had to bite down on something to stop..."

She trailed off as Ezio's expression became vaguely worried.

"A nightmare?" He asked, his tone still rather gentle.

"It happens all the time," Isabella burbled, trying to seem cavalier about the entire thing but she could feel tears pricking in her eyes - she couldn't touch this subject without it all becoming prominent in her mind. "It's nothing."

"You do this enough for it to be habit?" He gestured to her hand which she was resolutely clutching her sleeve over.

"I..." she turned her gaze away from him as the tears threatened to fall.

The Assassin had slowed walking and held his arm out to slow her too. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Isabella replied unconvincingly.

"Isabella-"

"Please Ezio," she blinked away the majority of tears before looking at the Assassin resolutely. "I don't want to talk about it."

They had slowed to a stop and Ezio was still looking at her with concern all over his face. Isabella suddenly wished she hadn't waited around for him, she didn't want someone she barely knew to witness these emotions - she scarcely liked the people she cared about seeing it.

"Please," she said again, praying that he would not push it. "Let's just go-"

A loud shout made the two of them jump in unison and immediately Ezio went into a defensive stance, his hand at the hilt of his sword.

The shout came from within the crowd on the bridge they had just passed. Isabella couldn't see what was going on, but could now hear an argument taking place.

"Please Sir, I meant no harm!" The voice was that of a young man, and it was somewhat cocky in a way Isabella found rather familiar.

"Do you think I'm blind and deaf?!" Another much older-sounding voice shouted in reply. "You were flirting with my wife!"

"I didn't know she was your wife," the other voice replied diplomatically but still with that cocky edge to it that made it seem disingenuous. "I thought perhaps she was your sister...or your daughter."

An angry growl rang out amidst people's gasps of shock and women's screams. The sound of metal hitting stone echoed around them and after giving Isabella one last glance, Ezio made his way towards the commotion.

All previous emotions seemed to exit Isabella and replaced themselves with fear for the Assassin. He was still in a rather frail condition, if he did anything brash then he might take forever to recover, or not recover at all.

She pushed her way through the crowds, trying to follow him but struggling to keep up with his large strides and ability to part crowds like Moses with the Red Sea.

"You bastard, I'll make you pay!" The angry man shouted, and Isabella fought harder to push through the crowds until she was at the front of the growing audience to this spectacle.

The older man, a tall and stout red-bearded beast, was pointing his large and rather blunt-looking sword at a man who was just as tall, but much more slim in build. The younger man had his back to Isabella so she could not see his face but could only too clearly imagine his expression at being on the receiving end of such a terrifying sight.

Ezio, who had entered the scene only moments before Isabella, had drawn his sword and was stepping between them.

"Please sir," he said diplomatically to the red-headed man, his other arm out as a gesture of peace. "Let's not do anything hasty."

"Move out of the way, I have no quarrel with you." The stout man made a moving gesture with his sword in an attempt to make Ezio get out of the way.

"That one-" he pointed his sword threateningly at the other man. "Has it coming."

"I did nothing!" The other argued, Isabella thought he sounded rather like he was enjoying himself.

"You insulted me!"

"I didn't, I was complimenting your wife!"

"Bastard!" The other boomed, making everyone within the vicinity jump. He took a threatening step closer and Ezio quickly came forward to meet him.

"Please sir, this is not worth the fight." His tone was calm but Isabella detected the note of worry which was reflected in her own panicked heartbeat.

The bearded-man's small eyes fixed onto the Assassin for the first time and seemed to suddenly take in all the armour and elaborate weapons in the other's acquirement. He hesitated for a moment.

"If I hear one more thing from him-"

"You won't," Ezio said. Thankfully the other man stayed silent. "Just go about your business sir."

The older man held up his sword for a few moments longer before dropping it with a disparaging shake of the head.

"I better not see you around here again," he said forcefully, pointing a stubby finger at the younger man. "If I do, I cannot say I'll be so merciful."

He surveyed the other threateningly for a moment before giving a curt nod to Ezio and turning to walk away, grabbing onto the arm of a woman Isabella presumed to be his wife, and dragging her along with him.

"Ezio?" Isabella found her voice to be slightly higher than usual as she ran toward the Assassin. The crowds were dispersing and so she had to weave around to reach him.

"Are you alright? You didn't hurt your arm, did you?"

Ezio shook his head with a small, comforting smile. "I'm fine, I used my left arm just to be safe."

He turned to the younger man whom was now behind Isabella. "And are you alright, sir?"

Isabella turned to look at the man too and felt a jolt of shock as she saw his face.

It was suddenly very obvious as to why his voice was familiar.

"Ido?"


	6. Chapter 6

Her brother's somewhat perplexed expression suddenly relaxed into a smile as he opened his arms to her.

She obligingly rushed forward and allowed herself to be enveloped into the strong familiar embrace she had missed terribly.

"Well this is a strange coincidence," Ido said with a light tone as they hugged. "I was just on my way to see you."

"What are you doing here? You didn't tell me you were coming to Rome." Isabella's voice was slightly muffled in her brother's shirt and she stepped back to look at him.

It had been half a year since she had last seen him, he didn't look too different save for slightly longer hair and a little more muscle.

"I have some work to do and thought it would be a perfect excuse to come see you." He replied, looking over her as if to check for any signs of malnourishment or neglect much in the way that their mother used to when they were children.

"What kind of work?" She asked curiously, unable to keep from smiling. She felt elated at this surprise encounter.

"Oh it's all very boring I'll tell you about it later," Ido responded with a wave of his hand. "Firstly I think I'd better thank your friend for saving me."

"Oh, Ezio I'm so sorry!" Isabella had been quite distracted by her brother's arrival, and had forgotten all manners. She turned to the Assassin with a smile still firmly planted on her face. "This is my brother Ido Mancini. Ido, this is Ezio Auditore."

At the sound of the Assassin's name, Ido's expression became somewhat alarmed and he looked at his sister for a brief moment as if to question her judgement. Clearly, he too was familiar with the wanted posters and stories about the infamous Assassin Auditore.

Before Isabella could raise her eyebrows at him to remind him to be polite, he had relaxed his stance again and was holding his hand out for the Assassin to shake.

"It's nice to meet you Ezio," he said, and only someone who knew him well would detect the danger in his tone.

"And you Ido," Ezio replied, though Isabella noted that he himself had become a little guarded. "I've heard much about you from Isabella."

"Yes, I've heard about you too." The other replied with just a hint of accusation in his tone.

Isabella gave a quick cough to bring attention back to herself and smiled a little more strongly.

"Shall we move along? I doubt that man would be happy if he found us here again."

The conversation as they walked to the Rosa was rather stilted, and Isabella found herself uncharacteristically talkative as she tried to tell each of the two men about one another. The two were not unreceptive to conversation, but an awkwardness hung in the air when they spoke. In the effort of being so social, Isabella found herself even more exhausted than before and was incredibly relieved when they finally reached the brothel.

"Wait here," she mumbled to her brother as Ezio walked further towards the door of the building. Thankfully, Ido complied, but his expression was still rather irritated and she knew she was in for a lecture when she returned to him.

Catching up with Ezio as he reached the door, she gave him an apologetic smile.

"Ezio, can you explain to Claudia that I've gone home to spend time with my brother? It's been a while since we've seen each other so I think it would be good to be alone."

Ezio nodded with a returning smile, his eyes fixing briefly onto Ido behind her. "I think it's for the best. He doesn't like me very much, does he?"

Isabella grimaced with embarrassment. "I'm so sorry if he seemed rude, he's just a little...protective."

"Don't apologise," the Assassin gave a small chuckle. "It is the way with siblings. I was the same with Claudia once."

His expression faltered for a minute at the mention of his sister and Isabella felt a rush of sympathy. Tentatively, she reached up and patted his good arm in a consoling manner.

"Talk to her," she said encouragingly, not bothering to ask what had upset him when it was so obvious. "I promise you, things will work out."

Ezio gave the other a warm smile. "Thank you Isabella, I know I've said before but you've been a great comfort to me these past few days."

Isabella felt her heart inexplicably skip as a feeling of affection rushed through her. She had not expected to like Ezio so much and was once again glad she had waited around for him that evening, even despite the slight hiccup during the day.

"And you me," she replied, her voice a little quieter than usual. Truthfully he had made her smile more in these past few days than any new acquaintance had been able to in months.

The two of them exchanged goodnights and Isabella made her way back to her brother who was looking at her rather expectantly.

"Okay what's your problem?" She asked him, trying to keep a good-natured tone in her voice. She didn't want to fight with her brother after only being in his company for half an hour.

"Aside from the fact that you're spending quality time with the most notorious man in the country?" Ido replied with an exasperated smile.

"He's not nearly as dangerous as you might think," Isabella replied with a slight smile. "Plus I had no choice really, he needed medical assistance."

"Oh?" Ido seemed rather interested at this tidbit of information and looked at her expectantly as they walked towards her home. He had been there often enough that it appeared he didn't need directions. "He needed medical assistance that required you to be his escort?"

Isabella fought hard to roll her eyes, she'd forgotten how dramatic Ido could be. "No, we were just walking the same path. But I did practically save his life from a nasty wound and a bout of poison."

"Oh yes that doesn't sound dangerous at all," Ido shook his head. "Isabella I'm not sure I approve."

"Well who says I need your approval?" She responded, unable to keep the irritation out of her tone. "He's Claudia's brother, it's not like I can avoid him. Besides, I enjoy his company."

"He's an Assassin." His tone was chiding.

"And you're a thief for a similar cause, what is your point?"

Isabella responded diplomatically. She could understand her brother's trepidation of course, but he did not know Ezio - nor the situation.

Ido gave an exasperated scoff at her words. "Isabella-"

"Ido I promise you have nothing to worry about. I have yet to bear witness to any danger involved in his work, unless you count that little spat back there - and I'm pretty sure that was your fault."

She turned to her brother with a smile which he begrudgingly returned.

"I could've handled that," he replied with more of a good-natured tone.

"Oh of course," she responded with sarcasm, giving him a playful nudge with her shoulder as they walked which he returned.

"Anyway," she began as they reached her house and entered. "How are you?"

"Oh I'm fine, same old." Ido replied with a light-hearted grin. Without warning, he pulled her into another strong hug. "I missed you though."

Isabella gave a small laugh, once again muffled in his shirt. "I've missed you too. It's been very dull without you."

"I am very fun to be around, it's true." He responded, making her laugh again. He took her hands as he pulled away from her and swung them a little bit. "I have about fifty letters to give you from everyone at the guild by the way, you have no idea how awkward it is to keep parchment dry when you're travelling in rain-"

He paused mid-sentence as his gaze fell on their hands, and Isabella felt that jolt as she realised he was looking at the injury she had tried to hide from Ezio not an hour ago.

"What happened?" He asked, gently lifting her arm to get a better look at the wound.

Isabella gently pulled her hand out of his grasp, making a mental note to cover it with bandage as soon as she had the chance.

"Nothing, I just bit into it." She paused, wondering if it was worth lying but she knew deep down it wasn't. "Nightmares, I'm sure you remember how it can be."

"Nightmares, still?" Ido's expression was full of concern and sympathy. "Is it still really bad?"

She nodded slowly, looking away from his gaze. As before, she felt tears welling in her eyes. "It's not gotten any better."

"Oh dearest," Ido pulled her into yet another hug, stroking her hair comfortingly. "I'm so sorry, why didn't you mention how you're feeling in your letters?"

"I did," Isabella replied thickly, fighting the tears that were still threatening to fall. "But after a while it just feels like I'm repeating myself."

She heaved a great, shaky sigh. "I cannot shake this Ido."

"You will, Isabella." He parted from her to look at her imploringly. "I know it seems like it will never get better, but time heals."

"You said that a year ago," Isabella replied, a tear escaping down her face. "But it still hasn't.

Ido began to speak but stopped himself, opting to pull her back into the hug again.

She hated the way her depression loomed over everything. She had had a good day, and yet one mention of the past had taken all that progress away.

She'd never deal with this, and nobody could take the pain away.


	7. Chapter 7

Despite calming down after her small outburst, and Ido's attempts to distract her with tales and conversation - Isabella had awoken the next day feeling thoroughly miserable.

She struggled to pull herself from the bed and wrestled several times with the idea of just attempting to sleep the day away before reminding herself that she had responsibilities to take care of and therefore couldn't. After slowly getting dressed, she slumped down in the chair next to her vanity chest and picked up her comb, tugging it through her hair as she attempted to go over the positives for the day in the hope that it would cheer her up somewhat.

A knock on the door made her jump.

"Are you decent?" Ido sounded breezy and well-rested, how she envied him.

"I am," she replied, trying to imitate his tone - there was no need to keep worrying him.

He opened the door and popped his head inside the room.

"I'm headed out to deliver this message," he said. He had told her the night previous that he had elected himself to deliver a message to La Volpe from the Thieves Guild in Venice. It was top secret, and therefore not put to letter.

"I'll be back later, I just wanted to say good morning."

"Good morning," Isabella replied, her spirits lifted a tiny bit at this affectionate gesture. "Be careful, that inn can be rather dangerous I've been told."

"I am the model of safety," Ido grinned.

This sentence made Isabella giggle despite herself.

"Of course you are."

After he left she heaved a sigh, trying to hold onto the happiness her brother's company usually brought. She could not help but wish he could stay with her here in Rome permanently, at the very least the constant distraction of his company would mean she would barely have any time to feel miserable.

Alas, she knew this was not a possibility given that his life and their family home was back in Venice. If anything she would have to return to her home city should she want her brother as her housemate once more, and that was something she could not handle.

She was rather later than usual leaving her house that morning, and yet could not help herself from dawdling towards the fishing docks just outside her door - drawn by the calming sound of the rush of the water.

She had picked this house for the view of the river that ran through the city - being Venetian, she found huge bodies of water to be exceedingly soothing.

However as she stared at it for a few moments, she felt an ache in her chest as it brought up old memories.

 _"Paulo, for god's sake please be careful. If you fall in I'm not coming to save you."_

 _Despite the strict-tone of her words she could not help but laugh as he wobbled precariously on the very edge of the dock._

 _"Do not fret, I am a master of balance." He replied, wobbling once more before becoming rather steady._

 _"You're a fool," Isabella replied with a light-hearted tone, shaking her head at him. "Now please come away from there, you're making me nervous."_

 _He gave her a jovial wink._

 _"Now why on earth would this make you nervous?" He asked, stretching out his arms to balance before lifting up one leg._

 _"Stop it!" Isabella couldn't help but laugh, but still consciously stepped closer to him, her arms lifted somewhat._

 _"I love that you care," he replied cheekily. Grinning like a child, he steadied himself again before hopping from one leg to the other._

 _A crack sounded loudly around them and everything seemed to happen in slow-motion. Paulo's jovial expression changed to shock as the wooden beam underneath him shuddered jerkily. He began to stumble properly._

 _Without hesitation, Isabella rushed forward, grabbed onto his hand which was still outstretched, and yanked him towards her and away from danger._

 _He bumped into her and together the pair fell to the ground, he atop of her, as the wooden dock dropped into the water below._

 _For a moment they both stared dumbstruck at the water, still both laying on the floor, before erupting into laughter._

 _"You idiot!" Isabella choked, pressing her face to his shoulder to muffle her mirth somewhat. "I told you!"_

 _His laughter was infectious._

 _"Did I hurt you?" He asked somewhat breathlessly._

 _She laid her head back again to look at him, still giggling._

 _"No, I'm alright. Are you?"_

 _He continued to chuckle._

 _"Yes, thanks to you," he grinned, his hand moving to stroke her face gently. "My saviour."_

 _Isabella reached up to brush back his messy hair lovingly. She knew they should probably move from where they had fallen, but couldn't quite bring herself to. It wasn't often they got to be close like this, and it was worth the risk of being caught by passers-by who might walk onto the secluded dock._

 _Paulo's gaze stayed on her, and as their laughter subsided, his expression turned uncharacteristically serious._

 _"Is everything alright?" Isabella questioned, still rather breathless from all the laughter._

 _"Bella, do you ever think about the future?" He asked, still strangely stern._

 _This random and rather heavy question surprised Isabella, and she gave another short laugh._

 _"What?"_

 _"I mean, do you ever think about where you and I will be later in life?" He continued, his hand still gently stroking her face._

 _Though the question was unexpected and strange, she gave it some thought before replying._

 _"Sometimes."_

 _"What do you imagine?" He asked, his expression was soft and made her heart thump heavily._

 _"I..." she could feel her face heating up, and prayed that her honest answer would not seem too forward. "Well I imagine we'll still be together...and...and happy...and..."_

 _"Married?" He tacked on to her sentence, a shadow of his usual grin playing on his lips._

 _Isabella could feel her cheek heat underneath his cool touch, the idea of his words making her heart race even faster._

 _"Well..."_

 _"Would you marry me, then?" Paulo continued, his words quiet and intense-sounding._

 _Isabella could barely breathe now._

 _"Are you asking?" She whispered, her fingers clasping at the front of his waistcoat._

 _Gently, he leaned down and kissed her with exceeding tenderness. Isabella felt giddy, her head felt light and her body responded to the close-proximity of his with an almost inappropriate amount of pleasure._

 _When he lifted his head to look at her again, he smiled and she thought her heart would take off._

 _"Will you marry me, Isabella?"_

 _Her response was involuntary, wrapping her arms around his neck she pulled him in for another kiss. She could feel the curve of a smile on his lips and he gave a small laugh._

 _It took a while for them to break this time and when they did, he looked rather dishevelled._

 _"Is that a yes?" He asked breathlessly._

 _"Yes!" Isabella responded a little louder than she meant to, she gave into another bought of laughter before pulling him closer again._

 _"Yes," she said on his lips. "A million times yes."_

 _They were laughing between kisses, and Paulo rolled to pull her on top of him, squeezing her strongly around the waist._

Unconsciously, she freed the chain around her neck from the constraints of her clothing and looked down at Paulo's ring that hung from it. What wouldn't she give to have one more day, one more hour with him.

She could feel the tears stinging her eyes and chided herself inwardly for letting herself think too much before the day had even started.

Sighing deeply, she lifted her head to the hot sun above her and closed her eyes, hoping that the heat would catch any stray tears that might escape. She needed to collect herself before she went to the Rosa, and she was already running late.

"Isabella?" A voice behind her made her jump, and she quickly turned on the spot - hoping a little too late that she didn't look as if she'd been crying.

"Ezio!" Isabella was rather shocked to see the Assassin, but also felt a strange surge of gratitude for being there when she so needed a distraction.

He gave her a curious look for a moment, and she quickly brushed her hands at her face in case there might be any tears there which thankfully there wasn't.

"Is everything alright?" She asked quickly, trying to distract him from her face.

He nodded his head at her words.

"Everything's fine, do not worry. Claudia just thought that you'd been coming back and forth to the Rosa so much, it might be kind for me to come to you."

"Are you and her talking now?" Isabella felt her spirits lift at this idea.

He nodded with a smile. "Yes, much thanks to you. Your advice was greatly appreciated."

"Oh no, I didn't do much," Isabella responded with a wave of her hand. She couldn't help but smile. "I'm so glad things are better."

"As am I," the Assassin replied with a small laugh that Isabella found herself joining in on, much to her own surprise.

"Would you like to come in?" She asked, gesturing towards her home. "I can look at your arm inside."

The Assassin complied and she followed him through the door.

"Where is Ido this morning?" He asked conversationally as Isabella placed her bag down on the chest in the foyer and rootled through it for any medical items she might need.

"He is delivering a message to La Volpe and won't be returning until the evening," Isabella replied.

"Oh yes, you mentioned he was a thief before." Ezio looked rather surprised as he thought about this fact. "If you hadn't have told me, I wouldn't have guessed."

Isabella grinned. "Hard to believe isn't it? But yes, he can be rather elusive when he wants to be."

"If you say so," the Assassin replied jokingly with a small chuckle which Isabella found herself joining in on once again. Her mood seemed to have lifted considerably, and she was grateful for it.

"Now," she said, her tone much more breezy now. "How is your arm feeling?"

"Much better," Ezio replied, moving it back and forth as if to prove his point. "Still a little painful, but nowhere near as bad as it was before."

"And you've been avoiding anything too rigorous?" Isabella asked him, sure that he had and yet wanting to make sure.

He nodded with a shrewd smile. "I know better now than to go against your wishes, Doctor."

She couldn't help but giggle at his words, shaking her head at him light-heartedly.

"Good."

Despite his convincing words of it feeling much better, Isabella still felt an element of relief when she saw how much healthier the wound looked when she'd removed the bandages.

"It does look much better," she voiced her thoughts aloud as she worked. "Though you may have a permanent scar there now I look at it. I'm sorry, there was nothing I could do about that."

Ezio looked at the wound briefly and gave a causal shrug.

"It's nothing unusual in my line of work, do not worry."

"Well I suppose that's it really," Isabella said as he pulled his sleeve back down over the newly bandaged scar. "Just keep it clean and be careful to not do anything too strenuous until it's healed a little more."

"Thank you Isabella," he responded with a fond smile. "I appreciate all your help."

Her stomach gave a strange jolt and she returned his smile.

"I'm happy to help. And as much as I will miss your company, I'll ask you to try your best to not get into any trouble for the time being."

She hadn't meant to be so honest, and she quickly busied herself with the roll of fresh bandage in her hands as an excuse to turn away from him - her cheeks heating up considerably.

"I'll do my best," the Assassin replied. His tone was soft but humoured, and oddly it made her feel even more like blushing. "And I'm sure we'll see each other when you're at the Rosa. I intend on being around much more nowadays."

"Good," Isabella replied with that irritating honesty.

"Claudia and your Mother are so happy to have you around, so it's good you'll be there more." She tacked on, hoping that she did not sound so needy.

She hadn't quite realised how attached she had become to the Assassin over the past week. She supposed that saving his life twice had some part to play in it, and he was also a good distraction.

But even more than that, he was a good person and she enjoyed spending time with him.

She just hadn't expected to become so fond of him so quickly.

After a moment's pause, Ezio's gaze lowered somewhat and his expression became curious.

"What is that?" He asked inquisitively, pointing to the object hanging from the chain around her neck.

Isabella felt her stomach jolt unpleasantly as she remembered that she had forgotten to tuck Paulo's ring away again earlier. She reached up, her hand clasping the object as if to shield it from view.

"I...it's..." she knew she only needed to tell him it was a ring, and that it was silly to want to hide it; but it was dangerous territory, one that she was not ready to talk about with such a new acquaintance.

Ezio's expression became concerned.

"Are you alright?" He asked concernedly, reaching out momentarily towards her before seeming to think better of it.

Isabella felt tears pricking in her eyes again. She had been so happy just a few moments ago, why couldn't she just hold on to that feeling?

"I'm fine," she lied, her voice shaking slightly.

Ezio surveyed her for a moment before speaking, his tone somewhat guarded.

"Is this...about the nightmares you told me about?"

Isabella felt a jolt of shock at his deduction. She had quite forgotten their small exchange before her brother had interrupted them the day before.

"How...?" She stammered, did he know more than he let on?

"You reacted the same way when you told me about them," he said knowledgeably.

"I...um," she was struggling to speak; a vast array of emotions working through her - though even in this state she had to admire the Assassin's skill in deduction.

"You don't have to talk about it," he replied kindly. "I can see it upsets you, I'm sorry to have brought it up."

"No," Isabella shook her head, trying to steel herself somewhat. "No I'm sorry...I'm just..."

She gave a shaky laugh at herself, trying to not seem as socially inept as she felt. "I must seem like a mess."

"Not at all," Ezio replied, his tone incredibly genuine. "I've been through hardships, I know what it's like."

Tentatively, he reached out and clasped her arm consolingly as if to help steady her. Inexplicably, she felt the strangest urge to walk forward and embrace him - though she repressed it with a slight shudder of embarrassment and confusion at the idea.

"Thank you," she said simply, giving the Assassin a weak smile. "I'm sorry."

"You needn't apologise," he replied. "It's fine honestly."

"Still," Isabella reiterated with slightly stronger tone. "Thank you. I appreciate your understanding, it's very kind."

"That's what friends are for." He said with a slightly lighter tone, clearly trying to cheer her up.

She gave a small laugh. "Good to know you consider me a friend."

"Well, I like to think saving my life twice constitutes some sort of bond between us, don't you think?" He grinned, and she was unable to help herself returning the gesture despite her emotional state.

"Indeed, good to know it wasn't for naught."

Ezio chuckled at the joke and let go of her arm, seeming to be comforted by her re-lightened mood.

"I think I may head back to the Rosa now," he said with a more bright tone. "Care to join me?"

Isabella shook her head.

"I would love to, but I fear I've shirked my other duties for a little too long today. Could you tell Claudia I'll be there tonight, though?"

"Of course." He paused for a moment, seeming to carefully pick his words. "Will you be alright?"

She smiled at his concern.

"I think I will, I'm feeling much better now."

And truthfully, though it was not usually so, she did feel a lot better. Usually a morning so steeped in memories would be a cause for the misery she had felt earlier to last all day, and yet she felt a little lighter.

"Alright," Ezio replied. "Thank you again for your help, and I hope to see you later."

"Yes, until later." She replied with a smile.

As he left the house she stared after him for a few moments. She felt a little drained after all the emotional ups and downs, but Isabella found herself not feeling as awful as she had earlier that morning. It was odd, she felt almost content.

Picking up her bag once more she made her way out of the house, her mind trying to dissect just what had kept her out of misery.

She couldn't make sense of it.


	8. Chapter 8

The sun was slowly ebbing away as Isabella finally began to make her way home, and she chided herself for functioning so slowly during the day.

She was glad to see that the streets were less bustling than usual however, and therefore did not feel too badly about working later than usual.

She had almost reached the Rosa, intending to stay for a little while until word of her brother's return came to her, when she was stopped in her tracks by the sight of someone running down the almost-empty street, waving at her frantically.

It took her a moment to focus, but quickly realised that the person was Carmen, and she looked rather distressed.

"Carmen?!" She called out, her heartbeat quickening with concern. "What's wrong?!"

"Miss Isabella!" Carmen stopped in front of her, and Isabella felt inclined to grasp onto her to stop her falling with exhaustion.

"Miss Isabella," she repeated breathlessly. "I came to find you, you must go home immediately, it's your brother."

"What about him?" She heard her voice raise an octave higher, fear suddenly striking through her.

"He's been hurt," Carmen gasped, shaking her head. "Sir Ezio and Madame Claudia instructed me to come find you, he's at your home being seen to by a doctor."

"What happened?!" Isabella demanded, her voice now a shrill shriek.

"I do not know the details, I'm so sorry," the courtesan replied. "I was merely supposed to come and find you."

Isabella immediately began to run in the direction of her home, not caring about seeming rude, about anything other than her brother.

How had he been injured? Was it dangerous? Surely it had to be, or she would not have been sent for so urgently.

She felt fear washing over every part of her. She couldn't lose Ido. He was all she had left.

She reached her home rather quickly, and burst through the door.

Standing in the hallway were Ezio and Claudia, as well as La Volpe and a few other thieves and Assassins. Isabella didn't even care how or why they were all there, she immediately turned to Ezio who was the closest to her.

"Is he alright?!" She demanded, her voice now sounding rather hysterical.

The Assassin walked forward, placing a hand on her arm as if to steady her.

"He's being seen to now," his voice was calm and kind, but did nothing to soothe her. "We won't know how he is until the doctor is finished."

"What happened?" She whispered, hating how stricken all the faces around her seemed to look.

"The Centro-Occhi attacked the inn," Claudia spoke from next to Ezio. She didn't step forward and Isabella suspected the Madame was trying not to overwhelm her with too much contact. "He was stabbed in the chest."

"What?! T-the-" Isabella could not repeat her words. She could barely breathe. "Wh-what if-"

"He was conscious and talking when we brought him here, Isabella." Ezio said over her panicked stammers. "It's clear he's very strong, there's every chance he'll be fine."

She could feel herself swaying somewhat, tears beginning to fall down her cheeks despite herself.

"I can't-" she couldn't finished the sentence, she couldn't think properly.

Carefully, Ezio stepped a little closer to her and grasped her arms with incredible gentleness. Isabella had the feeing he was getting ready to catch her if she fainted, and she was grateful for his consideration.

Unable to stop herself, she reached over and placed one hand over his on her arm - wanting some kind of comfort and not caring where it came from.

"Take deep breaths," he said quietly. "Just try and keep calm until we know what's happening."

"How...how you find him?" She whispered, wishing to inspect every detail of what happened for the tiniest shred of hope. "You said he was conscious?"

"He was. I was at the inn when it happened," the Assassin replied. "I just wish I could have done more, but if my men and I hadn't have stepped in I fear it would've been much worse."

Strangely, despite her fear and anxiety, she felt the need to comfort him.

"I'm sure you did everything you could."

Words seemed to fail her after that, and she could not concentrate on anything but her brother's life potentially hanging in the balance just upstairs.

It seemed to take forever. Every time Isabella had calmed herself somewhat, hysterical thoughts plagued her brain.

How could she possibly live without Ido? He was the only family she had left, the only person she truly trusted with every fibre of her being. Surely a world without him could not exist.

She knew deep down she would not survive it if he died. If he went away now she too would be lost.

Sometime in the many hours they had had to wait, she had been tentatively placed by Ezio on the armchair in front of her unlit fireplace. The Assassin had rather diligently stayed by her side, whilst Claudia had sat across from her on the hearth rug.

Neither sibling tried to make her speak, or offered empty words of comfort, which she was incredibly grateful for. In moments of clarity she wondered whether the two of them were so used to tragedy that they were well equipped to deal with it.

After what felt like days to Isabella, they finally heard some movement from upstairs.

Gently, Ezio helped her up from her seat and somewhere in the thick fog of thoughts and worries, Isabella noted that she had continued to hold onto his hand after he had sat her down. She was too wracked by fear to feel embarrassed by this, moreover she felt warmed by the fact that he had not pulled away; she was grateful that he was there.

When the doctor decended the stairs, Isabella made her way towards him.

"Is he alright?" She asked, her voice hoarse.

"I assume that you are Isabella?" The Doctor replied, his tone was good-humoured and kindly. "He has been asking for you. That is a very lucky man up there, he was very nearly pierced through the heart."

"Is...is he going to be okay?" Isabella asked, comforted by the Doctor's tone but still wracked with worry.

"He'll need much rest, and someone to take care of him should he need medical attention. But as long as he gets that, I think he will make a full recovery."

She heard herself heave a great sigh of relief, tears pricking in her eyes once more.

"Oh," was all she could choke out.

"Thank god," Claudia spoke, and Isabella turned to give her friend a watery smile as she took her hand and pulled her close for a comforting hug.

"Is he awake?" Ezio asked the doctor as the two women embraced.

"He is, and open to visitors, but take care not to stress him." The Doctor replied.

Ezio turned to Isabella with a smile, the relief clear on his face.

"You should go to him."

"Will you come with me?" She asked, turning to look at both the Assassin and Claudia. For some reason, she felt rather frightened, not wanting to react badly should Ido look worse for wear.

Claudia nodded but Ezio looked rather reluctant.

"I should probably see everyone away," he said. "Plus I would not want to intrude."

"You cannot still be worried he doesn't like you?" Isabella replied, her laugh sounding a little strange after crying.

"From the sounds of things, you saved his life. If anything he owes you a thank you."

When they reached him, they found Ido propped up in his bed, looking pale and clammy, but otherwise himself. At the sight of Isabella, his expression lightened.

"There you are," he said hoarsely. "I was wondering where you'd gotten to."

Immediately, Isabella rushed forward and gently placed herself next to him on the bed. She took his hand, trying to hold back some more tears.

"You gave me quite a scare there," she couldn't quite hide the wobble in her voice.

"Gave myself one too," he replied with a weak, roguish grin before sobering somewhat.

"I'm sorry, my little one."

Isabella swallowed back a lump in her throat.

"Don't be silly," she responded. After a moment's composure, she adopted a more humoured tone. "Just don't do it again, okay?"

He gave a small, strained laugh; squeezing her hand feebly. "I'll try not to."

After a few moments, he turned to look at the Auditore siblings who were politely standing by the door.

"Ezio," Ido spoke a little more strongly. "I need to thank you for helping me back there."

The Assassin shook his head, stepping slightly closer.

"Not at all, I was merely doing my job."

"You saved my life," Ido replied, and Isabella was rather shocked at how emotional her brother sounded. "That's no mere thing. And I'm very grateful."

"You're welcome," Ezio conceded with a respectful nod. Isabella gave the Assassin a fond smile, unable to help herself.

"And you must be Claudia?" Ido continued, looking over at the Madame still stood by the door. "I have heard much about you from Isabella."

"And I you," Claudia replied with a kind smile, standing next to her brother. "It's good to finally meet you."

"Likewise," said Ido. "Though I wish it was under better circumstances. I am afraid I cannot stand up to greet you properly."

The Madame gave a small laugh at his humour. "I shall not hold it against you."

After a short moment, Ido turned to Isabella.

"If you don't mind sister, I think I may rest for a while now. It's not exactly been a relaxing day."

"Of course," Isabella replied. Gently, she leaned over and placed a fond kiss on her brother's forehead.

"Call for me if you need anything. I'm afraid you may be stuck here for a few weeks until you heal."

"Alas, my plan to escape you quickly has been thwarted."

He grinned, and Isabella resisted the urge to give him a playful nudge. "Good thing I have a doctor in-house."

"Good thing," Isabella replied with a smile as she got up from the bed. "Get some rest now, I'll come to check on you in a few hours."

La Volpe was still waiting with a few of his thieves downstairs when Isabella and the others descended, and Ezio saw them off quickly as Claudia helped Isabella light a fire in the hearth - her servants having long since gone home.

"Are you alright?" The Madame asked kindly once they were done. "That was quite an ordeal."

"I'm just glad he's okay," Isabella replied. She had not felt so light in such a long time, the relief of Ido being alright seemed to have temporarily eradicated any misery from her. "I don't know what I would have done without him."

Claudia stepped forward and embraced her friend strongly.

"We're your family too, you know." She said quietly. "We're always here for you."

Isabella felt a surge of affection and gave her friend a fond squeeze in the hug.

"I know, and likewise." She parted from the Madame and gave her an inquisitive look. "What made you say that?"

"I just don't want you to feel as if you're alone, you're not." Claudia replied. "You never will be."

"I..." Isabella felt slightly at a loss for words, but quickly reached for her friend's hand and squeezed it affectionate. "Thank you Claudia."

"Any time," the other replied with a smile. "And thank you too, for speaking to Ezio."

"He told you?" Isabella asked, suddenly worried that all their conversations had been shared.

"I pressed it out of him," Claudia responded with a short giggle. "But I'm grateful. It's good to be talking to him again."

"I'm glad," the other replied with a small laugh to match. "And I'm also glad I do not need to balance myself between you."

"You two seem to be getting along well," Claudia's tone was light but inquisitive.

"Of course! He's..." Isabella trailed off as she tried to consider a word to describe the Assassin. Strangely, all the words that came to mind sounded a little too intimate out of context. Wonderful, kind, interesting.

"He's your brother," she said after a moment.

"Well I'm happy you like each other," she replied with a strange smug expression that Isabella couldn't quite decipher. "I suppose I should head back to the Rosa now and make sure it's running accordingly, if you're okay now?"

"Of course," Isabella nodded. "Could you thank Carmen for letting me know about all this? And apologise on my behalf for running away so quickly."

Claudia gave the other a grim smile. "I'm sure she'll understand, but I will. And call for me if you need anything."

"I will," Isabella replied.

After sending off La Volpe and the others, Ezio had returned inside the house just as Claudia was making to leave.

"I shall catch you up, if that's alright?" He asked her when she suggested they leave together. "I just want to make sure everything is alright here."

Claudia adopted that strange, smug expression again and nodded. Saying goodbye once more, she vacated quickly, leaving Isabella and Ezio alone again as they had been that morning.

"Are you feeling alright?" The Assassin asked kindly, and Isabella nodded.

"Much better," she replied with honesty. "Thank you so much...well, for everything. I seem to owe you a lot as of late."

He smiled rather tenderly at her words. "Not at all. Isn't that what friends are for?" He gave a small chuckle. "Plus, I owe you too - you saved my life twice, if you remember."

"I suppose we're even, then." Isabella gave a small laugh to match his.

"I suppose we are," he responded lightly with a grin. "Perhaps now things can become a little less eventful."

"Or just less dangerous," Isabella joked with him. "So much has been happening lately, it's strange to think that you and I have only known each other a few weeks."

"Indeed," Ezio mused with a small smile. "It feels longer."

"I hope you mean that in a good way," she replied lightly. The Assassin gave another laugh at her words.

"Of course I do."

"Good," Isabella responded. "Because I have very much appreciated your company lately."

The words had left her involuntarily as it had that morning when she'd been a little too honest in her fondness for the Assassin, and she felt her cheeks heat up. However, he simply smiled softly.

"And I yours," he replied quietly.

He really was rather handsome, it was hard to ignore when he smiled. Isabella felt the blush on her cheeks increase slightly as this intrusive thought occupied her brain. She quickly pushed it away, wondering vaguely if all the stress of the day had addled her mind.

"Alright," the Assassin had said after a pause. "I should go, but if you need anything at all do not hesitate to ask.

Even La Volpe has offered his services if needed, I think he feels guilty for the attack."

"Oh that's unnecessary," Isabella said with a wave of the hand. "But generous." She added, not wanting to seem rude.

"I'll be sure to send for someone if I need any help, but by the sounds of things he just needs some good medical attention."

"Well with you, he'll have it." Ezio replied with a fond smile.

She felt her heart thump a little heavier and could not help but beam at the compliment.

"You're too kind."

She walked with him to the door, ready to say goodbye when he stopped in his tracks for a moment.

"Isabella, I..." he trailed off, staring at her for a moment with a somewhat lost expression. After a brief pause he continued. "I hope you sleep well."

She had the distinct feeling that this was not what he'd wanted to say, and curiosity almost made her ask what his intended words were until she remembered that he had not asked her about her nightmares, or Paulo's ring. She needed to extend that same courtesy.

"I hope you do too," she replied softly, unsure as to why her heart was still thumping strongly.

"Goodnight," he said with a polite nod, making his way out of the door.

Isabella lingered in the doorway. "Goodnight, Ezio. Stay safe."

She watched him until he turned the corner, the stress of the day seeming to suddenly come down on her until she felt thoroughly exhausted. And yet she found herself smiling as she made her way to Ido's room to check on him before bed.


	9. Chapter 9

Ido's recovery seemed to be a slow one. Isabella had already spent a week tending to his needs and spending all the time she could with him when she was not working at the slums. And although it wasn't ideal, she could not help but feel glad about her brother having to stay for much longer than anticipated. True they were not the nicest circumstances, but it was better to see the positives in the situation.

An added extra was that tending to him day and night coupled with his company meant that Isabella hardly had time to be sad. Her nightmares had lessened considerably in the past week and she was beginning to feel a little more rested and energetic - it was a welcome feeling.

Her change in demeanour was seemingly noticeable, as Ido commented on it one morning as she came to change the bandages on his torso.

"You seem chirpy," he commented with a smile, though his eyes gave away a slightly guarded expression, as if he were worried that bringing it up might make it go away. "Are you sleeping better?"

"I am, actually." Isabella replied lightly. She hoped he would not delve too far into the subject, she was not sure if a good mood could survive the topics that usually made her miserable.

"It's flattering that my company helps so much," he grinned playfully. "If I'd have known, I would have gotten stabbed much sooner."

She threw him a dark look. "That's not funny."

"It's a little funny," he gave a small chuckle at himself. "You must have a sense of humour about these things or else you'll cry."

Isabella shook her head exasperatedly, unable to help herself from smiling. "Why was I cursed with such a fool for a brother?"

"You're just lucky, I suppose." Ido responded with another grin. "Now, what's the plan for today? Can I possibly leave my bed yet?"

"No, I told you, you need to relax until I deem you well enough." Isabella chided lightly.

He pulled a face, falling back on his pillows with an element of exasperation.

"I am so terribly bored," he responded. "There's only so many books one can read before it becomes tedious."

"There's always embroidery," Isabella grinned, tugging gently on the bandages she had just redressed around his chest. "And here was me thinking I was good company."

"You are, but you're not here all the time." He sighed deeply. "I just want to be able to go outside for a while."

"Well if you concentrate on getting better, I promise that we'll go for a nice gentle, relaxing walk when your wound heals."

"There's nothing remotely relaxing about this city," Ido responded with a mock-dark tone, his gaze turning to the window. "I don't know how you stand it."

"I like it here," Isabella replied, a little hurt on her new home's behalf. "It's an interesting place, and the ruins are beautiful."

"It's no Venice," Ido replied with a small smile. "Is there no way I can convince you to come home with me?"

Isabella shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "Ido..."

He raised a hand to placate her before she'd spoken her mind.

"I know, you don't need to explain." He gave her an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, it's only because I miss you so much. And be honest, it must get lonely here."

"It does sometimes," Isabella replied honestly, but then she thought of the Rosa. "But I'm not alone here. I have Claudia and Maria..." She considered for a moment before adding, "...and Ezio."

Ido gave her a somewhat suspicious look and she raised her eyebrows at him.

"What?"

"You seem to really like Ezio." Ido responded. There was an element of accusation in his tone that confused the other.

"Well, he's very nice." Isabella replied with a shrug. "You've met him properly now, you must see it."

"No I mean..." Ido trailed off before shaking his head. "Never mind."

"No, what?" Isabella pressed, curious.

"I..." Ido faltered for a moment, looking a little bit awkward before continuing. "You seem to like him...in that way."

Isabella felt a little stunned by these words. Involuntarily, she gave a incredulous laugh that came out as a snort.

"What?" She demanded. "Where on earth did you get that idea?"

He continued to look at her somewhat awkwardly, raising his eyebrows.

"I know you."

"Not well enough it seems," Isabella argued, feeling a little bit defensive now as his somewhat condescending expression stayed the same. "Ezio is my friend, that's all."

Ido cocked his head to the side and raised one eyebrow.

"Really?" His disbelieving tone was clear, and it made her angry.

"Yes!" She spoke strongly. "I have no interest in anything like that...with anyone!"

Her mood had darkened considerably now. Such suggestions felt like grave accusations, how on earth could she possibly consider having feelings for someone other than her husband? The very idea was ridiculous.

"Okay, okay," Ido placated, holding his hands out in a defensive gesture. "I'm wrong, clearly."

"Yes you are," Isabella muttered darkly, settling into her chair a little more and staring intently at her hands.

She knew she was being irrational and over-reacting, but it was hard to control her feelings.

Where could he have possibly gotten the idea that she had feelings for Ezio? He was her friend, and nothing more.

It was true she did think him attractive, but who wouldn't? He was a handsome man. And yes he was kind, and interesting, and funny. But so were many of her friends.

She was not interested in him that way; perhaps she would have been once upon a time, but the notion was ridiculous now.

Her steely silence seemed to make her brother feel guilty and he reached over to gently take her hand.

"I'm sorry," he said with a light but apologetic tone. "I didn't mean to upset you."

She knew she was being foolish, and the squeeze of his hand on hers made her feel unfair. He didn't mean any harm, she knew that.

"No I'm sorry." She responded. "It's just..."

"Paulo?" Ido suggested. Of course he knew, the root of her problems always came back to that.

"I could never see anyone else that way," Isabella whispered into her lap, her fingers tracing over the healing scars on the back of her hand from a week and a half ago. "I don't think I ever will again."

"You might," Ido said carefully. "But not for now. And that's fine."

The topic had reached levels that brought her mood down considerably, and she quickly took care of the rest of Ido's needs before excusing herself for the day - not wanting to be miserable around him if she could help it. He was stressed enough with his ailments, he didn't need her anxiety on top of it.

She walked quickly towards the Rosa first, intending to say a quick hello to Maria and Claudia before getting on with her duties. As she walked, she tried hard to shake off the feelings of depression that the end of her conversation with Ido had brought on - she was having such a good mood streak; she didn't want it to be ruined.

Fighting hard not to dwell on thoughts of Paulo, she instead forced herself to laugh at the ridiculousness of Ido thinking she had feelings for Ezio. Where on earth had he gotten that idea? Did it really look that way? Or was her brother just out of practice with reading her?

Turning the corner to the courtyard of the brothel, she felt somewhat surprised when she caught sight of Claudia and Ezio conversing near the tethered horses near the entrance. Claudia spotted her over her brother's shoulder and waved cheerily.

"Hello Isabella! You're a little later than usual." Her tone was bright. Isabella was glad to see that resolving arguments with her brother had greatly improved her disposition.

"I am I'm sorry, Ido needed help with his bandages."

"How is he?" Ezio asked politely. Isabella felt a confusing thump in her heart as the Assassin turned to look at her, and quickly reasoned that it was because her thoughts had been about him just a minute before. She inwardly cursed her brother for putting stupid notions in her head.

"Much better," she replied, trying to ignore her brain for the moment. "Very bored and cooped up, but healing nicely."

"Would he like company?" Claudia asked conversationally. "I'd be happy to visit later."

"That'd be nice," Isabella replied, cheered considerably by the idea. "Anything to stop him complaining."

The two siblings both laughed appreciatively. Isabella was about to ask them what they were doing out in the courtyard when Claudia suddenly jumped slightly.

"Oh! I've forgotten something. Just a moment." She turned to her brother. "Don't leave until I get back."

Ezio gave her a mock-hurt look. "I wasn't planning to."

The Madame turned to the entrance and entered the building, leaving Isabella and Ezio alone.

"Where are you headed?" Isabella asked conversationally, her spirits dulling slightly.

"I have some business to attend to in Forli," Ezio replied with a rather laboured sigh. "Truthfully it's rather tedious and I'd prefer to not go, but alas."

"For how long?" Despite herself, she found herself disappointed in this news. She'd gotten used to his company over the weeks, and she hated change.

"A few weeks, I'm never fully sure of these things." He replied with a grimace.

"It must be irritating to have such a flexible schedule." Isabella responded sympathetically.

"It is," the Assassin replied with another sigh. "Maybe it's time for me to settle down."

The sound of Claudia coming back out of the door echoed towards them, interrupting Isabella's reply. Though once again, her heart was thumping strangely. What was wrong with her?

"Okay, all done." Claudia spoke as she approached. She looked at her brother with a small smile. "Mother sends her well-wishes, she's still not well enough to get out of bed."

"Give her my love," he responded rather sadly. "I did tell her myself but...well."

Isabella felt a surge of pity for Maria, as well as her children who were giving each other sad, knowing looks.

"Alright," Ezio continued, seemingly trying to keep upbeat. He held his arms out to his sister who embraced him warmly. "I shall see you in a few weeks, though hopefully sooner."

"Be sure to write," Claudia replied, stepping back and patting him on the face lightly. "And don't get into any trouble, Isabella will not be there to save you."

Isabella and the Assassin both laughed appreciatively, and after a small moment he turned to her.

"Take care, Isabella." He said warmly. "And send my regards to Ido."

"I will," Isabella replied, suddenly feeling rather sad at having to say goodbye. "Please go easy on your arm, and look after yourself."

"I'll try," he said with a slight grin. "I don't want your wrath when I return."

She felt a blush rise on her cheeks slightly, but she giggled despite herself.

"You're a wise man."

There was a slight pause, and strangely the Assassin gave a short step forward as if to embrace her as he had his sister but seemed to think better of it, quickly holding out his hand for her to shake.

She could not help but smile at this rather formal gesture, but complied; unable to help concentrating on the warmth of his hand under hers and the way it made her heart quicken.

"Goodbye," the Assassin said to both of them before mounting his horse.

Claudia and Isabella watched him leave the courtyard together before the Madame spoke.

"I'm sure he'll be back sooner than predicted." She sounded hopeful.

Isabella had barely heard her, a sudden worry coming to the forefront of her mind as she continued to think about the man who had just left their company, the way his hand had felt in hers, and the way she was now wishing that he had embraced her as he'd clearly intended.

What if Ido was right?


	10. Chapter 10

She felt rather as if she were performing a large betrayal, and every time she caught herself trying to assess her feelings for Ezio, she felt a stab of disloyalty to Paulo.

She knew this was ridiculous; but it was impossible to push these feelings of betrayal away - which only seemed to add to her confusion over the matter.

Thankfully, Ezio did not return within the three week margin he had originally predicted for his mission. Claudia had told Isabella that he was apparently conducting business in Forli, and would probably not return for a few weeks more and although she had feigned a sadness at this, she couldn't help but feel grateful for the extra time to come to terms with her feelings.

She knew she had feelings for the Assassin, but could not bring her brain to concentrate on just how strong they may or may not be. It just felt awful to be considering such things when the man whom she had pledged her vows to was still so prominent in her mind, and probably always would be.

Her need for distraction now seemed to double, and she spent every waking moment in the company of Ido, Claudia, Maria or her own patrons. Her confusion over her feelings seemed to be clear, however, as Ido commented on her distant demeanour often.

"I'm just very busy," she had said as brightly as possible, doing her best to fob him off. "I've got a lot to do lately."

One of the few consolations she had from her confusion and misery was that her brother was getting better by the day. In almost a month, he was healing considerably well and was now out of bed and relatively mobile.

Isabella had almost forgotten that he was not actually a regular housemate in her home, and this only changed when he had gently spoken to her at the end of his fourth week there.

"I should probably be heading back to Venice soon," his tone was gentle, and somewhat guilty. "I've been putting a lot of things off and it's really beginning to pile up."

She felt a surge of sadness at these words. She had gotten so used to his company, it was going to be much harder than usual to say goodbye.

"I understand," she said, though she didn't feel particularly understanding. "When do you have to go?"

"I thought in a week or so?" He asked rather in an uncharacteristically timid matter. "If you deem me well enough."

It would be easy to tell him that he'd need a few more weeks of recovery, but Isabella knew it would be cruel and selfish to lie for her own benefit. So she heaved a sigh and nodded reluctantly instead.

"A week should be fine, you're healing well and you seem strong enough."

He gave her a small sad smile. "I will miss you, though. Given the circumstances, it's actually been an incredibly pleasant month."

She couldn't help but give him a faint smile back. "It has, I'll miss you too."

He must have detected the wistful notes in her tone, for he shifted from his seat to the one next to her and placed his arm around her, affectionately pulling her into a side-hug.

"You know," he started with that careful tone once again. "I was thinking, you could visit Venice for a short while some time. Everyone there misses you terribly, and maybe it would be helpful."

She gave him a weak smile, shaking her head.

"I can't Ido. I know it seems trivial but that's the place where...where it happened. I can't be there, it'll be too much."

On top of her newfound confusion over feelings, Isabella's light mood had long since left her and replaced itself with the usual misery. Her nightmares had returned, and the added stress of other thoughts had made them even worse. She knew that going to Venice would put her in an even worse downward spiral which she would potentially never climb out of again. She couldn't risk it.

"Isabella..." Ido sounded somewhat strained. "Forgive me, but I don't think being here is helping much. You're struggling and, well, I feel that you'd be better off at home with the people who love you."

She repressed a strange feeling of anger at these words. She knew he was trying to help, but it felt as though she were a child being parented.

"I have people here too," she said, straining to keep her voice calm. "And I know it doesn't seem like I've made much progress, but I have."

She took a deep and very shaky breath.

"Plus, I'm a widow, Ido. It's not right that I should be still living with my older brother."

"Who gives a damn about what's right?" He asked with a semi-light tone. Squeezing her around the shoulders again, he spoke again with a more sober tone.

"I know you can take care of yourself, but I'm worried about you little one. You've been up and down so severely lately."

She grimaced, knowing that her fluctuating mood had everything to do with the man she had not long since vehemently claimed she had no feelings for as well as the usual topics. She hadn't told Ido any of her inner-turmoil regarding Ezio; she knew that doing so would result in her brother over-reacting - or worse, he would tell her how it's healthy to move on; and she couldn't bear that. She didn't want to move on, she didn't even really know what her feelings for Ezio were, so how could she talk about them?

"I'm fine," she said, knowing that she sounded unconvincing. "I'm coping as best I can, Ido. And I know that I'm not exactly brightness and sunshine right now, but I know that Venice would probably make things worse."

His expression was sad as he looked her over.

"I won't push it," he said quietly. "But just know that you have support wherever you choose to be."

She couldn't help but give him a faint smile before resting her head on his shoulder. "I know I do."

As she left the house for the day, she tried hard to repress the extra feelings of misery that came when she realised that her brother would not be around this time next week. She knew she needed to keep strong - the last thing she wanted was to make him feel guilty for simply going home. It wasn't fair to.

But she was going to miss him terribly. In the two years she had lived in Rome, she had almost forgotten how close she and her brother used to be. It had been terrible to leave him in Venice at first, and if she'd had any inkling that it wouldn't have broken his heart to leave their home, she would have asked him to come with her. But now she was remembering just how hard it had been before to wrestle with being a kind or selfish sister.

Her day immediately hit a snag when she arrived at the Rosa and found it heaving with patrons. It seemed that a ship which had been away for three months had sailed into the city and now the crew were wishing to wile away their time with the company of pretty girls. Isabella barely had a moment to speak to Claudia as the Madame was so busy dealing with patrons who wished to purchase time with her girls.

"I'm sorry Isabella!" She'd said over the din of people. "Mother is sleeping and I don't think it'd be wise to leave Carmen in charge of this."

"It's fine!" Isabella said, though she felt her heart sink somewhat. "I'll come by later."

"Thank you!" Claudia gave her a rather strained smile as a drunken sailor approached with his arm around a courtesan. "Wish me luck!"

It was a struggle to not simply turn around and head back to Ido, but despite it being a Saturday, she still had several errands to run. Heading towards the marketplace, she tried to concentrate on the mundane shopping list of medical supplies that she needed to buy in order to distract herself. It didn't work very well and she was beginning to feel the first strain of anxiety and stress working through her - though thankfully, no tears.

The market was busy as it always was on a weekend. Isabella found herself stumbling a few times as she slowly moved through the crowds to the correct stalls that she needed. The concentration needed to stop herself falling on her face was enough to keep her mind occupied for half an hour however, and she found herself thankful for the congestion in the streets.

After she had selected all the items which were depleting in her inventory of medicines and remedies, she began to make her way back. She knew it would probably be too early to visit Claudia, and so made the decision to head home and wait with her brother and then perhaps have him accompany her to the Rosa afterwards.

The crowded streets had not dispersed in the slightest in her time at the market, and once again she was struggling to walk without stumbling every now and then. However, her mind seemed to have adjusted to the stress of this and being alone meant that it was once again beginning to dog her down with sadness. With the combination of having to concentrate on walking whilst also trying to keep her misery at bay, she was even less coordinated.

She quickly deduced that getting home was going to take a lot longer than usual, and began to care less about seeming polite as she parted the crowds to get through them.

She was beginning to get the hang of moving when she felt a sickening sensation in her stomach as her foot snagged onto her own skirts; as if in slow motion, she began to drop to the floor.

Without warning, a strong pair of arms seized her around the waist from the side and pulled her upright.

She let out a little squeak of fright at both falling and being in the arms of a stranger and wriggled out of their grasp rather rapidly. Stepping back, she looked up at her saviour and felt her stomach surge with anxiety when she realised whom had rescued her.

Once again, Ezio's timing was impeccable.

The Assassin's expression was concerned and somewhat amused as she stared at him rather blankly.

"Are you alright? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." He said over the din of the crowds.

"I..." Isabella had to inwardly adjust herself; she hadn't been expecting this at all.

"I'm fine!" Her voice was several octaves higher than usual.

"I saw you earlier and have been trying to catch up," he said with a smile that made her heart thump rather diligently. "I'm glad I got here in time."

Despite her nervous state, she couldn't help but laugh. As it had before she'd known of her feelings for him, her mood was lifting with his presence.

"As am I," she half-gasped, feeling a little breathless from the quick range of emotions. "Thank you, I think that's the second time you've saved me now."

"Seems to be a habit between us, doesn't it?" He joked. Looking around at the heaving crowds, he held out his arm to her. "Do you need some help?"

She nodded, ignoring the gentle humming of her heart as she wrapped her arm around his and let him lead them rather effortlessly through the crowds.

It was hard to concentrate, and she made a great effort to ignore the parts of her brain which pointed out how handsome he looked and how nice it felt to be on his arm. Now was not the time to be suddenly able to think about such things.

"Claudia said you wouldn't be back for another week," she said over the crowds. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes, I just overestimated how long things would take after underestimating them considerably," he gave a short chuckle at himself. "Is Claudia well?"

"She is," Isabella replied, noting how easy it was to fall back into their friendship despite her emotions. "Though she's very busy today, a three-month voyage ship docked in this morning."

"Oh I imagine that'll be chaos," Ezio mused, his expression a little annoyed. "It'll be best to avoid the Rosa until later I suppose then."

He turned to her with another handsome smile. "And how are you? And Ido? I hope he's doing better."

"We're both well. He's healed nicely and is hoping to leave for Venice in the next week."

She must have sounded gloomy for the Assassin gave her arm a comforting squeeze with his own.

"I imagine that'll be hard."

"I've gotten used to having him around," she replied, not particularly minding her involuntary honesty. "He's a good distraction."

The Assassin gave her a slightly curious look and it took a moment for her to remember that he still had no idea what vexed her so often.

"But yes, I'll miss him." She continued, ignoring the slight heat on her cheeks. "I'm afraid you'll be seeing much more of me at the Rosa once he's gone."

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Ezio replied, giving her a rather tender smile that made her feel a little flustered.

The two of them continued to converse as he led them down smaller pathways - clearly trying to considerately avoid the crowds.

All whilst they talked, Isabella found herself torn between several different feelings at once. Happiness in the Assassin's return, confusion at her suppressed feelings for him, and worry that things were about to become much more complicated between them on her part. She wasn't well equipped to deal with feelings like these ones; and it was a struggle to keep herself in check, even when having a normal friendly conversation.

The pair had reached the end of a wide alleyway when a group of voices echoed behind them.

Isabella felt her stomach sink slightly as she glanced back and saw a group of Borgia guards pushing their way down the street.

Under his breath, Ezio swore. As if reading each other's thoughts, they both sped up their pace ever so slightly so as to not make them suspicious. The end of the alleyway seemed to be miles ahead to Isabella who could feel fear rooting itself in her and making her breathless.

The guards' conversation became clearer as it echoed around the street.

"There he is," one said rather dimly, his words were easy to hear despite a clear attempt to keep quiet. "The one with the woman. I saw him in the crowds. Looks awfully familiar don't you think?"

Isabella felt her heart surge with fear and turned to look at the Assassin.

"Ezio..." she whispered fearfully, not sure of what to say or do next.

"Can you run?" He asked urgently. As they walked, he quickly unclasped her arm from his and held onto her hand - clearly ready to lead them away in a hurry.

Isabella considered his words for a moment, nerves making her voice stick in her throat.

"I...I think so."

"When we get to the end of this alleyway, we're going to run as quickly as we can and hide in any place we can find. I'll lead the way." He said over the increasing loudness of the guards behind them. His tone was authoritative and made her feel slightly calmer.

She nodded, resisting the urge to glance back at the guards again to see how close they were to them - their loudness made it feel as if they were just behind their backs.

"Get ready," the Assassin muttered, speeding up their pace every so slightly. Isabella could not help but squeeze onto his firm grip for some kind of support.

And then suddenly they were running, and she could hear the guards calling after them over the sound of wind rushing in her ears.

Thankfully, the streets in this area were not busy and so Isabella had no qualms with hiking up her skirts with her free hand and running as fast as she could with the Assassin by her side. She was just able to keep up with him, and was thankful for his hand in hers which kept her on the right track.

The two of them turned one corner, and then another, their pace unrelenting as Ezio tried to throw their pursuers off their track.

Chancing a quick glance over her shoulder, another shot of adrenaline kept her running as she saw how close the guards were to catching up. A horrid thought ran through her mind, what would happen if they were caught? Would they both die?

She did her best to shut away these ideas. She was running with Ezio Auditore - a man who got out of worse situations like this almost daily. They wouldn't be caught.

They turned into a particularly long alleyway and Isabella felt her legs begin to protest at having to work so hard. Just as she was beginning to lag she felt the Assassin turn a corner, pulling her with him so quickly that she stumbled.

They had entered an incredibly tiny alcove that was cloaked in shadow and Isabella's back hit the wall heavily as they came to a halt. Immediately, Ezio brought up his arms and placed them either side of her - seemingly to shield her from view. The two of them both gasped for breath as quietly as they could as they heard the distinctive sound of the guards approaching their location.

"Where did they go?!" One yelled, making Isabella jump somewhat. Her heart was thumping with fear and instinctively she grasped onto Ezio's robes, pulling him closer towards her and more into the shadows.

"They've turned the corner!" Another shouted.

Several silhouettes blurred past the alcove where Isabella and Ezio were hidden, and each time a guard ran past, she felt her heart stop.

But thankfully, none of them seemed to notice the two of them hastily tucked away - and they all ran down the entirety of the long alleyway and turned the corner.

Isabella leaned her head on the wall behind her, closing her eyes momentarily as she tried to get her breath back.

"That was close," she whispered.

"Too close," the Assassin replied, sounding just as breathless as she felt. "I'm so sorry."

She opened her eyes, and felt a slight jolt when she realised just how close the two of them were pressed together.

Not only were their chests touching, their faces were mere inches apart, and Isabella realised far too late that she was still clutching at him, keeping him pressed onto her in the already tight-space.

Despite this, neither of them moved from where they were. The fear Isabella had felt earlier was now replacing itself with another very different feeling, and her heart was racing once more.

The feelings she had been repressing for the Assassin in the past month seemed to bubble up to the surface and now she was feeling a vast arrangement of different things. Attraction, pleasure, desire most of all. Desire to confess the way she felt, to kiss him, to stay with him in this very spot and never move again.

And it seemed as if he had similar motives, she realised with a sense of triumph, for he was smiling in a way that made her shiver all over.

She hadn't felt like this in so long. Not since Paulo.

Paulo.

As quickly as the feelings of desire had arrived, she suddenly felt as if a bucket of ice-water had been tipped over her head. What was she doing? Ezio wasn't Paulo.

And Paulo was who she wanted, wasn't it?

But that was not an option any more. Paulo was dead and Ezio was very much alive. But this still wasn't right.

That familiar sense of betrayal was beginning to form as it had many times in the past week, and she felt sick. She was so confused.

Gently, and with some reluctance, she unclasped herself from the Assassin's robes and pushed against his chest to move him away from her.

"I..." she didn't know what to say, and stumbled on her words a few times. "I think the guards are gone."

Ezio seemed confused, and a little hurt.

"I'm-"

"I should be going," she said over him. She could feel tears threatening to fall down her cheeks as she realised the gravity of what she'd done. "I think Ido will be waiting."

She made to turn away but was stopped as the Assassin grasped onto her hand, forcing her to look him in the eye again.

"Bella..." he seemed as unsure of what to say as she was.

She felt her heart ache considerably. Paulo had once been the only one to call her Bella. She was right to have pushed the Assassin away, she was far too confused.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice breaking slightly despite herself. "I just...I need to go."

The guilt on his face made her want to explain herself, but she didn't know how. She could barely form coherent sentences.

"Do you need me to walk with you?" He asked after a pregnant pause, his tone somewhat defeated.

She shook her head, finally pulling her hand from his grasp.

"I'm fine," she muttered - though she was far from it. "Thank you for rescuing me. I must go."

And though she hated herself for it, she immediately turned on her heel and began to walk back to her home. All the while fighting back tears and the impending sense of misery that threatened to take over her entire being.


	11. Chapter 11

"Isabella, is that you?" Ido's voice called out as she closed the door and she inwardly cursed herself for not being quieter. "You're home early."

"I..." she was completely lost in thought, and unable to speak.

Her discomfort must have been written on her face for when Ido walked into the foyer, his expression immediately became concerned.

"Are you alright?" He asked, walking over to her. "You look upset."

"I'm fine," she said rather lamely. She knew she was a terrible liar when it came to her brother, but the idea of telling him the truth was mortifying. "I just...ran home."

"Why?" Ido asked bemusedly.

She grimaced, quickly trying to piece together an abbreviated truth - it was better to avoid a full-out lie.

"Some guards were causing trouble at the market. But luckily Ezio was there so it didn't get too dicey."

Saying the Assassin's name brought his face to the forefront of her mind and she quickly shook off the memory of him pressed up against her.

"Oh god, did they do anything?" Ido asked, his tone suddenly full of concern and bringing her back to reality.

"No, we got away before anything could happen." Isabella said, her voice sounding rather emotional now. "I...I just feel a little shook up."

"Perhaps you should go lie down," Ido said with the voice he used when feeling particularly parental. "I'll come find you in an hour or so."

Nodding, she immediately obeyed his words, making her way to the stairs and dropping her bag on the foyer floor.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Ido asked again, his expression concerned and curious.

"I'm fine, just need a little rest," she replied, wanting desperately to run as fast as she could to her rooms.

Reaching her bedroom, she fastened the door shut and pressed her back to it; trying to control the vast sea of emotions flooding through her.

She felt terrible. A horrid mixture of disloyal, embarrassed, grief-stricken and confused. Her emotions were getting the best of her and she began to pace the room agitatedly - tears pricking in her eyes but refusing to fall for some reason.

She hadn't realised how strong her feelings for Ezio were. And now she had humiliated herself in front of him, and refused his advances.

Though could she be sure that they were advances? He could have just been caught in the moment, not stepping away because she herself had not let him go. What if he was simply confused at her actions because friends usually didn't act in such a way? What if he was now feeling rather awkward because she herself had been inappropriate?

But what if he did feel the same way and she had pushed him away?

And then there was a elephant in the room. Paulo.

Her dearest, sweet Paulo. How could she be thinking of her feelings for Ezio when her heart seemed to break every time she thought of her husband? How could she even consider feeling something for somebody else when her grief was still so strong that it woke her up with nightmares?

Falling onto her bed, she began to sob quietly. This was too difficult, she couldn't deal with it. She didn't know what to do, she felt completely and utterly lost.

 _A firework burst open in the sky, filling her with excitement as they walked along the dock towards to streets of people._

 _Carnevali. She looked forward to this every year, a chance to have a little fun and excitement - and all in disguise._

 _In the last few years of attendance, she had always had a wonderful time and she hoped that this year would be no exception._

 _"Are you meeting Rosa?" She asked her brother who was walking arm in arm with her towards the crowded piazza._

 _She repressed a grin at the redness on his cheeks at the question._

 _"And the others," he corrected, though Isabella knew he was lying. "I said I'd find them by the games."_

 _"Well I want to watch the dancers, so it might be best to part ways for now."_

 _As expected, he looked at her as if she had gone mad._

 _"I'm not leaving you alone."_

 _"Ido please," she said diplomatically, readying the speech she'd prepared for this very moment. "I'm old enough to be alone. I go to the Doctor's quarters alone now, don't I?"_

 _"That's different," Ido argued. "There aren't any drunks in the streets during the daytime."_

 _"Oh there are if you pass the correct alleys," Isabella joked, repressing a laugh when his eyes widened with horror. "I'm joking, Ido."_

 _She wheeled around in front of him, stopping him in his tracks, and took his hands._

 _"Please, I want to spend time with my own friends. None of them need a chaperone."_

 _"They should, knowing what they get up to." Ido said darkly, but Isabella could tell she was wearing him down._

 _"Do you promise you'll be home at a reasonable hour?"_

 _"I promise," Isabella replied diplomatically, knowing for certain that no matter what time she arrived home, she would still get there before he did. "And I won't drink. On my honour."_

 _He dithered for a moment, making a discomforted face, before sighing heavily._

 _"Alright, but please come find me if anything goes wrong."_

 _She resisted the urge to roll her eyes and instead smiled brightly._

 _"Thank you!" She adjusted his mask so that it was a little straighter on his face and gave him a swift kiss on the cheek. "Have fun, Ido!"_

 _"Behave yourself," he chided fondly, and she had to fight to not repeat his words back to him._

 _She felt a little lighter as she broke away from her brother, and began to walk around the piazza, looking for her friends who had said they would be around this area. It was hard to recognise anyone however, and she meandered around the crowds surrounding the large formation of dancers in the centre of the square._

 _Deciding it would be best to wait in one area, she placed herself a little further back from the crowds with her back to one of the many columns, and lifted her mask off her face so that she would be better recognised._

 _The combination of dancers and fireworks were engrossing entertainment, and she was so busy paying attention to them that she didn't notice when someone came and stood next to her._

 _"You seem lonely," he joked. Isabella jumped somewhat and turned to look at a tall gentleman wearing an intricate half-mask decorated with a family coat of arms she didn't recognise. He smiled as their gaze met._

 _"Why aren't you dancing?" He asked conversationally. "I doubt it's because you can't find a partner."_

 _She felt her cheeks heat up and smiled coyly despite herself. She was not very good with new acquaintances, and often avoided talking to strangers unless she could help it. Tonight however, she felt a little more courageous._

 _"I am a terrible dancer," she replied with some honesty, though she kept her tone light to avoid sounding self-pitying. "I prefer to watch, it's harder to embarrass myself that way."_

 _The man gave a hearty chuckle at her words. "I'm sure you're exaggerating."_

 _"I assure you I am not," she laughed with him, her gaze turning out to the dancers. "I have never been very good at it."_

 _"Perhaps you just haven't had the right partner," he reasoned; swiftly, he held his hand out to her. "Shall we see if I can teach you?"_

 _She felt her heart thump erratically. She wasn't used to such forward actions, and it shook her courage slightly. She hesitated for a moment._

 _The man tilted his head at her playfully._

 _"If you'd rather not, I understand. Just know I will be forever heartbroken if you refuse me."_

 _She could not help but giggle at his words._

 _"Well I suppose we wouldn't want that," she lingered for a moment more before biting the bullet and taking his hand. "Lead the way then."_

 _To her utter dismay, he immediately led them to the centre of the dancers._

 _She had been exaggerating somewhat about being a terrible dancer, but still did not feel comfortable in being watched by so many people at once. Her discomfort must have been clear on her face, for the man spoke to her encouragingly as they drew near each other in the dance._

 _"No need to be so nervous," his voice was loud over the music, but there was an intimate nature to his tone. "You're doing fine."_

 _Who was this man? He spoke to her as if he knew her, but she was sure she had never met him. She didn't recognise his family coat of arms either, and wondered if he was a friend of a friend._

 _"Who are you?" She asked as they circled each other._

 _"I thought the point of Carnevali was mystery," the man teased with a grin. "It would be wrong to spoil the fun, would it not?"_

 _"I suppose. Will you at least tell me if we've met before?" Isabella asked, unable to stop herself from smiling at his good-humoured nature._

 _"We haven't," he replied. "I know for certain I would remember meeting you before."_

 _She felt her cheeks heat up again and turned her gaze upwards and away from him just as another stream of fireworks danced into the sky._

 _The display made her heart thump excitedly with its extravagance, and she forgot for a moment that she was supposed to be dancing until she took a few too many steps forward and stumbled directly in her partner._

 _"I'm sorry! Sorry!" She squeaked, mortified and struggling to right herself._

 _The man laughed, delicately taking hold of her arms to steady her._

 _"Are you alright?"_

 _"I told you, I'm a terrible dancer." She laughed at herself, trying to cover the feeling of intense embarrassment._

 _He turned his gaze upwards to the fireworks. "In your defence, these are very distracting."_

 _She looked up too, her smile growing. "They're beautiful, aren't they?"_

 _In the corner of her eye, she saw him give her a rather tender smile that made her stomach jolt - it was a very unfamiliar feeling._

 _"They are." He agreed obligingly before holding out his hand to her again. "Shall we try this dance once more?"_

 _"If you don't think it'll affect your health," Isabella joked, still a little red-faced._

 _"You were doing fine right before the end," he replied amusedly. "And you could dance awfully all night, I don't think anyone would notice with how captivating you look."_

 _She felt herself smile foolishly. "Please, all these compliments are going to give me a large head."_

 _He chuckled, looking somewhat guilty._

 _"I'm sorry, am I being too forward?"_

 _And although in any other case, these actions would seem forward, she shook her head. There was something in this person's demeanour that helped him pull it off._

 _"No," she replied softly. "Not at all."_

 _Wordlessly, they both began to dance again. Circling around each other as they had before._

 _"Can I ask you your name?" He asked suddenly as they twirled around, in Isabella's case much more carefully._

 _She pretended to be suddenly aloof, though the affect was ruined somewhat by the grin that she could not shift away._

 _"You can, if I can ask you yours first."_

 _He laughed. "I suppose that's fair. I'm Paulo."_

 _"Paulo...?"_

 _"Paulo Giorno."_

 _She had never heard of that family, nor of him - but deduced that if perhaps she saw his face, she might recognise him._

 _"I'm Isabella Mancini," she replied, deeming it fair to share her identity._

 _He smiled broadly. "It's nice to meet you, Isabella."_

 _"And you, Paulo." She felt a moment of daring, and adopted a light tone. "Though technically one does not truly know someone until they see their face."_

 _He gave a mock-indignant sigh, though he was smiling._

 _"Alright, fine."_

 _He reached behind his head and unraveled the mask swiftly and Isabella felt her heart thump excitedly again._

 _She could already tell that he was handsome from the features visible with the mask on, but she hadn't expected that he would be as good-looking as he was without it._

 _His eyes were almost the exact dark shade of his hair, and she had not seen it before, but now spotted a dimple on his cheek when he smiled._

 _She did not recognise him, but she found that she didn't particularly care._

 _The blush on her cheeks heated up once more as he cocked his head to the side playfully._

 _"What?" He asked with a grin. "Not what you were expecting?"_

 _"No!" She said instinctively, before sputtering embarrassedly. "I mean, yes! No, wait-"_

 _She felt her face heat further with embarrassment, and she turned her gaze away from him as they continued to dance._

 _She heard Paulo chuckle again._

 _"You're very pretty when you blush, Isabella."_

 _She repressed a grin at the compliment, still rather embarrassed._

 _"You're very sweet," she replied, unable to help her honesty - though she continued to keep her gaze away from him._

 _"No, just honest. But thank you." He sounded amused, but genuine. And as the music came to a finish and the crowds began to clap, she forced herself to look at him again - her heart thumping diligently against her chest._

 _"There," he said with another grin. "That wasn't so bad was it? But I have all night if you think there's room for improvement."_

"Isabella?"

She felt herself jerk awake as the sound of gentle tapping echoed around the room. She sat up in her bed, irritatedly wiping the tears that had continued to fall down her face as she'd slept.

"Isabella?" Ido repeated, sounding a little worried. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she responded, hoping that the thickness in her voice would pass for tiredness. "Just fell asleep. I'll be down in a moment."

"Alright dearest," Ido replied kindly, and she heard him walk down the hallway.

She got up from the bed and paced the room once again, agitatedly unbraiding her side plait and doing it again more tidily after catching a glimpse of how messy her hair was in her vanity mirror across the room.

She was angry with herself for falling asleep when she should have been trying to decide what to do, and she still had no clue.

She needed advice, though the idea of talking to Ido about such a topic was a mortifying one.

Perhaps Claudia then? Surely her best friend would be most helpful - the only issue came from the fact that Isabella's object of affection happened to be her best friend's brother.

But surely she would not be angry, or act strangely? She didn't seem the type to be protective of her brother in that way.

Isabella decided that this was the best option. She would visit Claudia and ask for her guidance - how difficult could that be?

She grimaced at her reflection as she checked herself over once again, making sure that any trace of tears or distress was gone from her appearance.

Taking a deep breath, she stepped out of her bedroom and headed downstairs.


	12. Chapter 12

She found herself practically hyperventilating as she turned the corner to the Rosa in Fiore's courtyard - she had waited around at home for a whole extra hour just in case Ezio had decided to hang back at the brothel for longer than usual that morning. She did not want to see him until she had decided on a plan of action, and the idea of doing so made her palms sweat.

She couldn't deny that she was also nervous about the topics she planned on talking to Claudia about. She could not be completely sure that her friend would take issue with her feelings - nor be sure that she herself would not break down over the subject of Paulo.

Her body flooded with relief when she saw that Ezio's horse was not tethered in the yard indicating that he was not in residence, and she sped up slightly despite herself.

The brothel's clientele couldn't have been different from the day previous when the place had been heaving with sailors, and she felt another rush of relief that she would not be withheld the company of her friend for another day.

Claudia was in her rooms and seemed to be in cheery spirits when Isabella knocked and poked her head around the door.

"Isabella!" She said brightly. "You're a little later than usual."

"Yes I'm sorry," Isabella replied as she entered the room, trying to imitate her happy tone. "I just had a few extra things to do this morning."

"It's fine," Claudia said, waving her arm dismissively at the other's words. "I'm just happy we actually get to see each other today. What happened to you yesterday? Ezio told me he'd seen you."

Isabella felt a surge of embarrassment. In all the chaos of the day before, she had managed to completely forget that she hadn't popped in as normal.

"Yes I'm sorry, I just..." having not planned to make an excuse, she found herself at a loss for what to say.

"Did you two have a fight of some kind?" Claudia suddenly asked rather gently.

Isabella jumped at this, and felt her face begin to heat up.

"I...no, why?"

"He just seemed rather put out yesterday despite being home, and like I said he mentioned he'd seen you but didn't say anything else. It seemed as if you'd had an argument of some kind."

She had forgotten how observant her friend was; perhaps this was an Auditore trait. Isabella felt herself reeling inwardly as she attempted to vocalise her thoughts.

"Well...I..." she heaved a rather large sigh, unable to keep eye-contact with her friend and staring at the carpet instead. "Actually...I did want to talk to you about something regarding that."

"Oh?" Claudia said curiously, taking a seat next to the fire and inviting her friend to do the same with a gentle pat on the armchair next to her. "What's wrong?"

Isabella obliged at the other's request to sit, but still maintained her gaze on the ground.

"Ezio and I...well, we did run into each other yesterday. But, um..."

"So you did argue?" Claudia responded kindly, clearly reading Isabella's discomfort.

"Not exactly," Isabella replied, scrunching her face with embarrassment. "We...um...almost kissed."

There was a small silence, and Isabella dared not speak as the other assessed this information.

"Oh," said Claudia simply. Her tone was so unreadable that Isabella could not help but finally look up.

Unexpectedly the Madame's expression was understanding and somewhat amused.

"I had a feeling something like this might happen," she said after a moment.

This statement confused Isabella greatly.

"What? How?" Surely she had not been so obvious - her feelings had not been clear to her so how could they have been clear to anyone else?

"I know my brother," she replied. "He's liked you for some time. I mean, he's never told me so but it's obvious. And I can tell you're fond of him too."

Isabella felt a wave of shock at this information, and at her friend's observant nature. She knew now that there was no point in not being honest, she had come this far.

"I didn't know until recently just how fond I was," she replied with a small element of embarrassment. "I have no idea what my feelings are doing at all."

"Well considering what you've been through in the past, that's not surprising." Claudia's tone was understanding, and Isabella was amazed at how astute her words were.

"So what exactly caused the upset between you both?"

Isabella heaved a large sigh to steel herself.

"He tried to kiss me and I...I pushed him away," she grimaced as she remembered it. "I was confused and it got me upset. And I couldn't explain why because I've never talked to him about...about-"

"Paulo," Claudia finished kindly, gently reaching out and taking her hand. "Naturally, you were feeling conflicted."

"Yes," Isabella said with a slight gasp as a lump formed in her throat, incredibly grateful that her friend was so understanding. "On one hand, I want to see these feelings through; but on the other, I feel like doing so is a betrayal to Paulo which I know is utterly ridiculous but..."

"It's not ridiculous at all," the Madame replied, squeezing her hands gently. "Paulo was your husband, and the last person you were in love with - feelings like that don't just go away."

A tear dropped down Isabella's cheek and onto her lap, and she gave a shuddering sob. The truth of her friend's words made her heart ache with sadness.

"I don't know what to do," she choked, somewhat glad that Claudia had witnessed her tears in the past and therefore would not judge them.

"I suggest talking to Ezio about this, telling him the truth." The Madame reached out and brushed away one of the many tears falling down the other's cheek. "He'll understand, I'm sure. And perhaps talking it through may help you to deal with the feelings."

This solution seemed so simple, and yet Isabella knew that having to tell Ezio exactly what had happened to Paulo meant reliving it somewhat - which was not an easy feat.

"I don't want to burden him," she said through the tears.

Although she was saying this partially out of cowardice, she couldn't help but consider her own words. What was the point of burdening Ezio with her life's tragedies if his feelings were lukewarm at best? Although Claudia had told her that he had feelings for her, she'd never had any confirmation of this. What if she was wrong, and Ezio had merely been caught in the moment when they'd almost kissed?

"It wouldn't be a burden," Claudia said with sincerity. "He cares for you, romantic feelings or not. And he's clearly wondering why you pushed him away, I think he'd want to hear why you did."

The Madame squeezed her hands once more. "I know it wouldn't be easy, but it would most certainly help you feel a little less wretched in the long-run."

Despite the tears, Isabella couldn't help but smile at her friend.

"You're being so understanding about all this. I was expecting you to maybe be a little angry."

"About what? You and my brother?" Claudia gave a small smile. "I have no issues with it, you're both well-matched. A doctor and an Assassin, what could be more perfect?"

Isabella gave a watery chuckle before sobering again.

"That's if he hasn't written me off as a complete fool before I speak to him."

"He seemed more worried than angry when I spoke to him, though he's not the type to wear his heart on his sleeve." Claudia replied. "I'm sure he'll understand when you explain things."

Isabella gave a deep and somewhat shuddering sigh.

"That's going to be complicated. I don't even know when I could do it, it's not exactly a conversation you can have out in the open - and Ido is still going to be at my home for another week before going back to Venice."

"He's leaving?" Claudia questioned somewhat distractedly, and Isabella remembered that she had not yet given her friend this information.

"Yes," she replied with a nod. "He told me yesterday."

Claudia looked pensive for a moment.

"That could work in our favour," she said, patting her chin thoughtfully with one finger. "If you can wait a week, perhaps Ezio and I could come to see him off when he leaves? And then I could make some excuse and leave you alone with him."

"Maybe," Isabella agreed half-heartedly. Truthfully, she did not look forward to the idea of voicing her heartache, and especially not to Ezio - it was never a pretty sight. But she knew it would probably be necessary if she ever wanted to move forward.

"Ido won't mind, he's become rather praising of Ezio since he saved him from the Centro-Occhi; and you and he seem to get along pretty well."

"He's a lovely man," Claudia replied with a smile. "So that's settled then."

"Yes," Isabella responded feebly, making the other squeeze her hands again.

"It'll be hard, but it will help I promise." Claudia's gaze was suddenly rather sad. "Talking about your feelings does a world of good."

Although she didn't want to believe the words her friend was saying, she knew they were true. If anything, surely it could not get any worse - and perhaps it would be good to let Ezio know a little more about her personal life.

"You're right," she replied with a small sigh. "It does."


	13. Chapter 13

"So this is it, one last chance." Ido said jovially as they walked arm in arm along the edge of the River Tiber together.

"What?" Isabella questioned curiously, turning her head to look at her brother.

He gave her a small smile. "One last chance to ask you to come to Venice with me tomorrow."

Isabella gave a small groan. "Ido, please-"

"I know, I know." He cut through her rebuttal, shaking his head. "I just thought I'd triple check. I didn't quite realise how much I'm going to miss having my baby sister around."

"Well that's an excuse to visit more," Isabella offered, unable to help a small stab of guilt ebbing through her. "And write every week instead of every fortnight."

"I suppose," he replied somewhat wistfully, giving her arm a little squeeze in his own fondly. "It's just not the same, I miss the old days."

A lump formed in her throat at these words, and she kept her gaze on the path ahead.

It was difficult to remember a time when she wasn't plagued by this grief, or when the names Paulo and Ezio weren't in her thoughts. The days when the only man in her life was her brother, and when her mother would constantly insist that eventually she would care about the opinions and actions of the opposite sex, and yet Isabella never believed her.

She was sure her mother was looking down on her now with feelings of fond-smugness, what poetic irony.

"Are you alright?" Ido asked after a small moment, seemingly spurred by her sudden silence.

"I'm fine," she responded automatically, turning to look at him with a semi-stiff smile.

Ido gave a small grimace. "I wish you'd tell me what's wrong dearest, you've been rather off lately."

"Have I?" Isabella replied with a great effort to sound nonchalant. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to be."

She'd spent the past week trying to keep a relatively happy air, not wanting to spur a conversation about what had happened between her and Ezio with her brother. It seemed that it was apparently all for nothing.

He raised his eyebrows at her with a look of suspicion. "Isabella, come on."

"I'm fine, honestly." Isabella replied quickly, looking at the path ahead of them rather than at his penetrative gaze. "It's nothing."

He gave a sigh. "Here was me thinking we could talk about anything..."

"We can!" She couldn't help but respond to this rather cheap tactic of guilting the truth out of her. "It's just...not important."

"So there is something?" Ido pressed with infuriating persistence. "What's happened?"

"Oh Ido," she groaned, slumping slightly. "I really don't want to talk about it, it's...embarrassing."

"Oh come on, you must tell me now." His tone was humoured and made Isabella want to shove him into the Tiber.

She knew he wasn't going to drop it now, she regretted saying anything.

"You're going to get angry," she replied, already working up the courage required to talk about her problems again.

"Why?" He sounded a little less amused now. "What's wrong?"

Isabella kept her gaze on the ground as she spoke.

"Do you remember when I told you about Ezio saving me from those guards last week?"

"Yes," Ido replied carefully, his tone careful.

"Well...I...uh..."

"Did the guards do something?" He asked carefully, his voice wavering slightly.

"No!" Isabella replied quickly, unable to help looking up at her brother so he would know she was being truthful. "No, nothing like that."

He heaved a sigh of relief before looking at her quizzically. "Then what?"

"Well...Ezio and I had to hide from them and..." she could feel her face beginning to heat up considerably and turned to look to the river next to them. "And we...he and I, we...almost kissed."

As expected, Ido went silent. Isabella had many memories of her brother reacting negatively to suitors of hers, even Paulo. He was always an overly-protective big brother, and she expected that this would be no different.

"He didn't...force you-?" He asked rather stiffly and Isabella immediately turned to face him with an expression of horror.

"No! Of course not!" She replied rather shrilly. "It just happened in the moment...I...I wanted to kiss him but-"

The heat on her face felt more like a fire now and she struggled to complete the sentence.

"So why the 'almost'?" Ido asked, his voice a little too calm.

"I was just confused so I didn't go through with it," she replied, her voice wobbling somewhat.

"And this is what has been bothering you?" Ido suddenly sounded rather sympathetic, much to the other's surprise. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Because it's embarrassing," Isabella couldn't help but let out a small laugh at herself, though she could feel tears begin to sting her eyes as they had when she had talked this subject over with Claudia. "And it sounds trivial when I say it out loud."

"Oh Isabella," he stopped and turned to her, pulling her into a strong hug. "It's not trivial, I understand. I'm sorry."

He seemed to hesitate for a moment before speaking again. "So what happened exactly?"

"I don't really know," Isabella replied, pulling out of the hug gently. "It all happened rather fast...I did want to go through with it but I couldn't stop thinking about Paulo and it got far too confusing. I'm sure Ezio thinks I rejected him."

"You didn't explain it to him?" Ido asked gently, his hand brushing at an escaped tear on her cheek affectionately.

She shook her head with a humourless laugh that sounded strange mingled with her tears.

"How could I? There's so much ground to cover." She swallowed a lump in her throat. "I'm planning on telling him tomorrow after you leave to make things a little more clear between us, but it's going to be hard. And even then I'm not sure what's going to happen."

"He'll understand I'm sure," Ido replied, his tone lightening ever so slightly. "At least, he'd better."

She let out another watery chuckle, this one more genuine.

"You're being suspiciously cavalier about this," she said cautiously, worried that bringing it up might remind him to over-react.

He gave a small smile. "Maybe I've decided that my baby sister is old enough to take care of herself. Or maybe I'm just being extra nice because she's crying."

"I'll go with the latter," Isabella replied with a weak smile, wiping at her face.

"I'm sorry if I've been distant this past week, I was trying hard not to be but I should've just told you what was bothering me."

"You should've," Ido gave a small grin which made her laugh again. "But I understand, it's okay."

He held out his arm for her to take again which she did after blotting at her eyes with her sleeve.

"Do you know what this means, though?" Ido said somewhat carefully after a small moment of silence whilst Isabella composed herself again.

"What?"

"It means I was right about you and Ezio," he gave her a small, cheeky grin and even though she was still feeling rather sensitive, she couldn't help but give a jovial laugh at this.

"This is why I didn't want to tell you," she replied, brushing her hands at her face again. "You're insufferable when you're right."

The next day came and passed far too quickly, and Isabella felt a sense of helplessness that evening as she watched her brother arrange his cases and instruct the courier taking them on where to go.

She was going to miss him terribly, and was already miserable at the prospect of not having him around.

She was also highly strung; having arrived earlier than planned at the stables which Ido was leaving from, she was rather distracted as she wondered when Ezio and Claudia would arrive as had been arranged.

"Isabella?" Ido approached her with a smile. "Stop worrying so much, you'll get wrinkles. They'll be here soon."

"That's what's making me worry," she replied uneasily, unable to help glancing around him to check for the siblings approach. They were still nowhere in sight.

"Are you not going to miss me at all?" He asked humouredly, clearly meaning to distract her.

She let out a small laugh despite the fond ache in her heart for her brother.

"Of course I won't," she joked back. "You and I just never seem to get along."

He wrinkled his nose at her, stepping forward and pulling her into a bear hug.

"I will miss you terribly, you horrible creature." He shook her gently in his arms, lifting her off the ground for a moment. "Please take care of yourself."

"Only if you promise to do the same," she replied, gripping onto him as best she could despite the rough treatment. "Make sure to check in on a doctor for that wound; it should be fine but just in case, you don't want it getting infected."

"I will, I promise," he parted from her, his hands still on her arms as he spoke. "And you please try not to fret so much, remember what we've talked about - how he wouldn't want you to be unhappy."

The lump in her throat she had been repressing for her brother's departure rose up and she could feel the familiar sense of misery on it's way.

"I know," she said, her voice wobbling slightly. "I'll try."

Ido's gaze flitted over her shoulder and he straightened up with a friendly smile.

"Here they are," he said quietly. Isabella immediately brushed at her face to remove any potential traces of tears - her heart lurching as she turned to face the two approaching.

Claudia gave a jovial wave, and Isabella could see her mouth moving covertly in conversation with the other next to her.

Isabella felt her heart throb again, but this time more at the way Ezio looked. He was not in his usual Assassin garb, and was instead wearing regular civilian clothing. He looked more handsome than she cared to admit which made it difficult to not stare, and so she fixed her gaze instead onto her best friend, trying to smile as best she could.

"Good evening," she called out, but the wobble in her voice was not quite gone and so she sounded rather pained.

Claudia smiled graciously, clearly not bringing attention to the other's discomfort. "Good evening, how are you both?"

"Well I'm thoroughly miserable at having to leave," Ido responded with a casual nature that Isabella envied. "But I have a distinct feeling that Isabella is secretly overjoyed to see the back of me."

"I am not," Isabella replied, unable to help herself laughing with Claudia at her brother's remarks - though she was still fighting back the plethora of emotions she was feeling.

"Despite all the drama, I've rather enjoyed having you around."

"Good to know," Ido gave her an encouraging grin before turning to the Auditore siblings. "Thank you both for coming to see me off, it's very kind."

"Not at all," Claudia replied with a casual wave of the hand. "We wanted to come say goodbye, and be here for Isabella."

Isabella couldn't help but glance at Ezio again and felt a jolt when she realised he was looking right back at her. As soon as their eyes met however, he turned away and she quickly did the same. It felt strange to be so awkward with him, she disliked it greatly.

"I suppose I'd best not outstay my welcome anymore then," Ido said rather briskly, and Isabella was brought back to the conversation rather abruptly, the lump in her throat forming again as she realised it was time to say goodbye.

Ido turned to her with his arms outstretched again and she immediately wrapped herself in another hug.

"Take care, little one." He sounded rather emotional now, and it sent her emotions over the edge.

"You too," she said, unable to help emitting a small sob. "Please write to me."

"I will," he said, squeezing her strongly. "And maybe next time I'll bring the whole motley crew to see you."

She gave a watery laugh. "I'd like that."

They parted and he hesitated for a moment before turning to the other two siblings.

"Thank you both again," he held out his hand to Claudia first. "It was wonderful to meet you at last, Claudia."

"And you," the Madame replied with a somewhat fond smile, shaking his hand. "I hope you have a safe journey."

Ido gave her a smile before turning to Ezio.

"And thank you again for saving me, Ezio. I'm very grateful to have met you."

The Assassin relaxed slightly and gave a small chuckle at the other's words which made Isabella's heart quicken again.

"Glad to do it," he replied kindly. "It was good to meet you, Ido."

Ido seemed to hesitate again and then as they shook hands, he leaned forward and muttered something to the Assassin. She could not hear what was being said, and was confused by the somewhat interested expression on Ezio's face.

Next to the two men, Claudia turned to give Isabella a look of confusion which expressed perfectly how the latter felt at this exchange.

Her bemusement grew even more when the Assassin gave the other a small smile as he leaned back.

"I will, don't worry." He replied simply.

Ido gave him a polite nod before turning back to Isabella once again. Immediately Isabella pulled him into another hug, getting close to his ear.

"What did you say to him?" She whispered, a little worried at this exchange.

"You'll see," Ido responded with infuriating vagueness, but before Isabella could demand further answers he pulled away from her.

"I really have to go," he said somewhat sadly. "I can't keep the stableman waiting much longer."

All irritation with him seemed to fade and replaced itself with a sudden misery. Despite herself, she let the tears begin to fall down her face.

"Take care, please." She said simply.

"I will, and please don't fret," he replied before walking up to the stableman and climbing up onto his already-prepared horse.

"Remember what we talked about," he said, and Isabella was too miserable to wonder how the other's might perceive these words. "I love you, dearest."

"I love you too," she replied, her voice wobbling terribly. She felt Claudia's comforting arm go around her gently as she walked to her side.

With one last wave and a sad but fond expression, Ido began to ride away. And Isabella was left with her sadness, as well as a feeling of anticipation of what would happen next.


	14. Chapter 14

Isabella was glad of the walk home to help steady to flow of tears that her brother's departure had caused. Walking with Claudia meant a reasonable distraction too, not just from the misery of saying goodbye to Ido, but also from the frequent glances she received from Ezio which made her heart race nervously.

As the group of three made their way back to Isabella's home which was a short distance away, she took advantage of the time to ask after Maria - wiping at the last of the tears on her face as she did so.

Claudia smiled pensively. "She's out of bed, but still a little fragile. She's been asking after you too."

"Dear Maria," Isabella replied with a fond smile. "I shall come to visit soon, I've not seen her in a while."

Claudia gave Isabella a small encouraging smile before turning to her brother on her other side.

"What did Ido say to you, by the way? I'm curious."

Isabella too was rather curious about this information, but kept her gaze forward rather than on the Assassin - feeling a little too awkward to act casual with him.

"Nothing particularly interesting," Ezio replied with a semi-bored tone. "Just work-related things."

"Oh," Claudia's response sounded a little disbelieving, and Isabella knew that she was in the same thought that the Assassin was lying.

She had the distinct feeling that that small exchange had been about her, and felt a little uncomfortable at this fact as she didn't know what had been said. She hadn't expected her brother to meddle in her affairs in such an obvious way, and wasn't sure if she was grateful or irritated with him for it.

Claudia and Ezio kept up a small amount of conversation as they all headed towards home, but Isabella was struggling to find things to say. Every now and then she would still catch the eye of Ezio before turning away. Her nerves were beginning to show themselves, and she was not sure if she would be able to keep the courage to talk to him about what she had planned.

They had reached the Rosa which was on-route to Isabella's house and Claudia slowly began to pace away from the group formation.

"Isabella I'm sorry but I have so much work to do," she said with a knowing look at the other. "I've asked Ezio if he'll walk you home - is that alright?"

Courage was failing her, and Isabella wanted to protest at this fake request despite herself. However, Claudia had already begun to walk away from her before she could say a word.

"Take care you two," she said kindly, smiling at her brother in an encouraging manner which made Isabella even more nervous - had the two of them talked about the encounter between herself and the Assassin?

The Madame turned her gaze back to Isabella and gave her a nod before quickly making her way into the brothel - leaving the other two quite alone.

Isabella's heart was now racing, and she forced herself to smile somewhat awkwardly at the Assassin before turning her gaze forward as they walked.

"I..." she tried to think of some kind of starter to the conversation, but came up short. Her head was thumping with adrenaline at simply walking along with him, and she could feel her mouth turning dry. She wasn't going to be able to do this, she wasn't ready.

"You...you don't mind walking me home?" she asked nervously after a few moments, slowing her pace slightly as she hoped he might make an excuse to leave. "It's not far."

"I want to," Ezio replied quietly, his tone so serious that she couldn't help but chance a glance at him. "I think...I think we need to talk."

She nodded at his words, biting down on her lip hard.

It was a small comfort when it became clear that he seemed just as uncomfortable as she felt. It was good to know that he hadn't been unbothered by what had plagued her thoughts for a week.

"Isabella, I..." he immediately trailed off, seeming to be struggling to find the correct wording. "I just wanted to apologise for last week."

"You don't need to-" Isabella began automatically but the Assassin interrupted her with a strong but rather guilted tone.

"I do, I'm sorry; I acted inappropriately." He said, and though she could feel his gaze on her as they walked she couldn't bring herself to look at him as her cheeks burned and her head thumped with nervous tension. "The last thing I wanted to do was upset you, and I'm so sorry for it."

"Ezio..." Isabella swallowed down a large lump in her throat, the plethora of emotions taking its toll on her already fragile emotional state. "Really, you don't have to apologise. I was the one who walked away without explaining myself and I'm sorry for that I was just..."

She grimaced, finally forcing herself to turn her gaze to his. "I was just confused."

"Confused?" His tone was gentle, despite herself Isabella felt her heart thump at the kind way he was looking at her.

"It's...something of a difficult story," she heaved a deep breath, closing her eyes momentarily as she composed herself.

Ezio paused for a moment.

"This is about the nightmares you have, isn't it?"

She couldn't help but give a weak smile at his observant nature, it was rather impressive. She nodded.

"I'm willing to explain it to you, but it's not something I want to burden you with if...if you don't want to know about it."

"I will admit I am curious," he replied with a careful tone. "But I don't wish to force it out of you if that's what's required."

"You wouldn't be, I want to explain myself," she said quietly. "I'll admit it's difficult to talk about...but I want to give you a better understanding of why I walked away that day."

She paused for a moment, nerves making her feel incredibly vulnerable.

"Because I wouldn't have otherwise," she whispered, the heat on her cheeks increasing tenfold. "Truth be told, walking away was the hardest thing I've done in a long time."

She could no longer look him in the eyes and turned her gaze forward again, nervousness and slight embarrassment washing over her and mixing with her pool of many emotions.

Without warning, she felt his hand graze over hers and take hold of it gently. He had stopped walking, and was pulling her back in his direction as she had continued walking.

When she finally got the courage to look up at him again, he was smiling softly, his eyes lit up in a way she had never seen before.

"I thought I'd made a very wrong assumption," he muttered, sounding slightly amused.

She tried to suppress the sudden surge of hope she felt, not wanting to make assumptions herself before she had the full evidence. He hadn't said the words yet, and the words were what made it true.

"You...you feel the same way?" She asked, trying desperately to not sound as nervous as she felt.

Unexpectedly, he gave a light chuckle.

"Of course I do, do you think I would try to kiss you if not?"

Despite her mixed emotions, and the fact that she would soon be bringing up painful memories by the dozen, she allowed herself to feel a moment of true happiness. Their almost-kiss had not just been a moment of madness between them, he felt the way she felt. She couldn't help but let out a small laugh of relief.

"I wasn't sure," she replied to his question, suddenly able to notice how wonderful it felt to hold his hand this way and look at him properly as she had not been able to for the last week.

He laughed lightly again, squeezing her hand delicately. "There was me thinking I'd been obvious."

The two of them stood where they were for just another moment, clearly both taking in this new information which potentially changed everything. And then Isabella remembered her task, and felt a wave of worry wash over her again - dampening this happy moment somewhat. He definitely needed to know her story now, there was no avoiding it.

As if he were reading her mind, Ezio's expression changed to something more sympathetic.

"Let us head to your home then, and you can tell me everything."

She felt a twinge of sadness as she entered her house and remembered that her brother was no longer in residence, but quickly pushed that feeling away for later. This was going to be hard enough without it.

"I...um," she began awkwardly as the two of them entered the main sitting room, already full of nerves. "This is going to be difficult for me to talk about, I don't tend to share it with many people. So I'm sorry if it comes out as a jumbled mess."

Ezio's expression was calm and kind as he stepped forward and gently took her hands as he had in the street.

"Take your time, I'm listening."

She gave him a grateful smile before taking her mind back to memories she only accessed subconsciously. Immediately, she felt her heart begin to ache as she remembered, and took a deep breath to try and soothe herself before speaking.

"Well, you know I get nightmares," she began rather weakly, unsure of how to begin. "And...and by now you must know that I have some...emotional baggage."

He gave her a sympathetic smile. "I wouldn't have worded it that way, but yes."

She gave a weak smile, taking another deep breath.

"Well that's..." she steeled herself, swallowing down a lump that was already forming in her throat. "That's because I used to be married."

Ezio raised his eyebrows at this, looking momentarily surprised before nodding at her to continue, his expression somewhat concerned.

"To a man named Paulo," she continued, her voice catching somewhat on his name. "Paulo Giorno, he was a thief who came from a noble house, like my brother. And he...he was murdered on our wedding day."

She felt the familiar sting of tears in her eyes and closed them for a moment, trying to keep herself as calm as possible. She felt Ezio's hands squeeze hers comfortingly, but he said nothing for the time being.

"It was two years ago," Isabella continued slowly, her voice wobbling terribly. "He and I were walking towards the docks after the wedding festivities and...and...we were followed by Borgia guards."

She could remember the night so clearly. They had simply wanted a small walk to the place where Paulo had proposed - he himself had suggested that this could be an annual tradition for their anniversary. She had been full of happiness so strong she could burst, and then that happiness had turned to fear as they both realised they were being pursued by a pack of Guards who had emerged from a nearby tavern.

"They were drunk and unruly," she said breathlessly. "They kept pursuit and they said the most terrible things..."

She spared Ezio the overtly perverse threats they had shouted, demanding that Paulo leave Isabella with them for a few hours.

"So we tried to run, and being thugs they of course followed until they caught us."

A tear trickled down her cheek, she reached up to catch it but Ezio got there first. She gave him a weak, grateful smile before continuing.

"Paulo d-did a good job of fighting them off," she said thickly, her words wobbling terribly with her tears. "But one waited until our guard was down and he...he..."

She couldn't say the words and simply shook her head instead.

"I...I took care of the guard myself," she repressed a shudder as she remembered being rounded upon by the guard as Paulo fell to the ground. She had been so scared and so angry that she had picked up Paulo's sword and ran forward with it in the hopes that the guard would run away. However, inebriation seemed to have stunted the man's reflexes and he merely stood where he was as Isabella ran him through with the weapon. Though she knew she had had no choice in defending herself, she still regretted this action greatly.

"And...and I tried to get help for Paulo but...but I couldn't...I..."

She let go of Ezio's hand to cover her face, a small sob emitting from her as the memories came with the words.

Ezio didn't speak, and simply drew her closer by the hand and pulled her into his arms. She reciprocated, clinging to him as she let herself sob quietly.

"I'm so sorry," he said simply after a short moment, his hand stroking her hair comfortingly. "I'm beginning to understand now."

"I still...I still struggle with it all," she said in reply, her voice choked. "Which is why I walked away last week, and...and why I have the nightmares."

"It makes sense, after all you've been through," he replied kindly. Gently, he parted from her, maintaining their closeness but also looking into her eyes. "Thank you for telling me, that can't have been easy to talk about."

She gave him a watery smile, too logged with misery to truly enjoy their closeness just yet. After a small moment, she leaned forward and back into their embrace, wishing for comfort. He wrapped arms around her and they stayed that way without conversation for a while as Isabella cried herself out.

It took a while for her tears to run dry and she was beginning to feel the familiar sense of exhaustion that such emotions brought.

Hard as it was, she felt a little lighter having shared it with Ezio however, and after a moment of composure she spoke into the silence.

"Thank you for listening to me," her voice was thick with emotion and she fought to keep it steady. "I'm sorry that I've burdened you with all my troubles."

"It's not a burden," Ezio replied gently. "I understand the need to share such things with those you care about. And at times it helps to talk grief through."

There was an element of knowing in his tone, and Isabella raised her head from his chest to look at him. He gave her a sad smile as their eyes met.

"Trust me on that, I speak from experience."

There was something in his voice that suggested his experience was a lot closer in nature to her own than the loss which she already knew of.

"You're..." she hesitated for a moment. "You're not talking about your father, are you?"

He shook his head, and she felt the need to cling a little tighter onto him.

"What was her name?" She asked quietly. She was making assumptions, but instinct told her that she was correct.

"Cristina," Ezio replied, confirming her hunch. His expression became somewhat distant.

"She was someone I knew before we had to leave Florence. After my father and brothers died, we had to leave and she couldn't come with me. A few years later she got married to someone else and I thought that was that."

Isabella kept quiet, nodding for him to continue whilst her heart ached sadly for him. She knew the pain in his voice only too well.

"I went back to see her some time after," he continued after a brief pause. "But her home had been ransacked by some fanatics of Savonarola. Her husband had already been killed and when I went to find her, I found her badly hurt."

He swallowed hard, turning his gaze out of the window near the both of them. "She died in my arms."

"Oh Ezio," Isabella whispered, automatically drawing him in for another embrace which he complied to. "I'm so sorry."

"Grief never goes away," Ezio responded rather knowledgeably as they held onto each other. "But it does get easier with time, I promise. Even the worst of things can get better with some effort."

She contemplated this for a moment, closing her eyes as she tried to consider feeling better about what she had experienced. It seemed impossible, and yet, hadn't Ezio done it? They had had very similar experiences and yet here he was, able to laugh and smile with ease, able to function? If he could do that despite all the other hardships he had faced including this one, then why couldn't she with time?

"Thank you," she whispered after some time, turning her head slightly towards the crook of his neck.

The misery she felt was beginning to ebb away again as she slowly began to realise how close she was to the Assassin. They had never embraced before this, and she was slowly starting to like the way they fit together. Without speaking, the Assassin turned his head and kissed her gently on the temple; this gesture sent pleasurable shivers through her and she turned her face towards his, unable to help herself as her heart thumped with a vast array of emotions.

A sudden knock sounded around the room, making them both jump back slightly.

Isabella paused, considering ignoring it before another knock came.

Sighing somewhat exasperatedly, she reluctantly parted from Ezio.

"Just a moment," she said with an apologetic smile which he returned. "Of all the times to interrupt." She added quietly as she walked towards the front door, dabbing at her eyes to catch any leftover tears as she did so.

She was rather surprised to see Carmen bathed in the light of the lamps lit across the street. She was now only beginning to realise that it had turned dark during her conversation with Ezio; she hadn't been aware of time passing.

"Carmen," she said rather breathlessly. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes, I was just sent by Madame Claudia to make sure everything was alright." The courtesan said diplomatically. She glanced behind Isabella momentarily before leaning forward and speaking quietly. "She says that if you're busy talking, there's no rush."

Isabella felt her cheeks heat up, and though she appreciated her friend's concern, she couldn't help but be a little exasperated by her meddling. If only she had just waited a little longer to act on her worries.

"We're fine, just talking." She said as innocently as she could muster. This was true of course, but she felt caught out somehow. Behind her, footsteps approached and she turned to Ezio as he reached the door.

"Claudia was just checking up on us," she said with a small smile. "It seems our conversation went on for longer than I realised."

He gave her a knowing look, a smile playing on his lips.

"It does." He looked up at Carmen. "Was there anything else?"

Carmen nodded a little guiltily. "There was a message for you back at the Rosa from Machiavelli, but Madame Claudia stressed that it was not important for now."

Isabella suppressed a fond grin at her friend's attempts to keep the two of them together. Glancing at Ezio, she saw him doing the same.

"Of course she did," he said amusedly, though Isabella could detect the slight concern in his eyes - clearly worried about his workload.

"We can finish this conversation tomorrow," she suggested helpfully, though the reluctance in her tone was clear as day. "I don't mind."

He turned to look at her again with an apologetic expression.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes of course," Isabella replied with a nod, her heart thumping a little as if in protest. "As long as you promise we will continue it another time."

He smiled ruefully at the meaning behind her words. "Of course, I look forward to it."

"As do I," Isabella half-whispered, suppressing the unfamiliar longing she felt to envelope herself in his arms as she remembered their present company. She turned to Carmen with a gracious smile.

"Thank you for the message Carmen, and have a good evening."

"And you too, Miss Isabella." Carmen replied, still hovering where she was, but turning away as if to give some privacy.

Glancing at the courtesan who was now taking rather a strong interest in the water by the house, Ezio reached for Isabella's hand and kissed it gently.

"Until tomorrow then, Isabella." He said with a low voice that sent shivers through the other.

"Until tomorrow," she said rather breathlessly, resisting the urge to step forward and into his arms again. There would be time for that, she was sure.

He parted with her after a brief pause, and made his way down the path with Carmen. Isabella watched from her doorway, her heart dancing excitedly when he turned around at the end of the corner and gave her a wave which she returned.

She felt absolutely exhausted. The range of emotions she had had to experience that day had been rather excessive, and she knew it was going to take a while to recover.

She couldn't help but notice though, that her sense of misery seemed a little less so. Confessing her feelings and taking a step towards doing something about them had helped greatly.

And it was hard to feel too miserable when she remembered that Ezio felt the same way, she couldn't help but smile broadly at this fact, and now he knew everything.

The next step would be dealing with her grief, as the Assassin had suggested earlier. But she pushed this idea away for now, she had been through enough emotions for one day.

Heaving a deep sigh, she began to make her way up the stairs and towards her bedroom. It was not late, but she was exhausted.

Hopefully it would be a while before she had to deal with as many emotions as she had today.


	15. Chapter 15

_She felt her breath come out in small gasps, and she clutched even tighter to the hand that was slowly turning cold underneath hers._

 _He couldn't be gone. He just couldn't be. Just a few hours ago they had promised to be together forever; just a few hours ago they'd had their whole lives ahead of them._

 _It felt as though her brain were screaming, and yet all she could do was breath sharply and keep her gaze on her husband; his eyes still partially open, his lifeless face smeared with blood._

 _With much effort, she lifted a shaking hand and closed his eyes fully, the horror of the situation washing over her like a bucket of ice water. She would never see him smile again, never see the dimples on his cheeks, or hear his voice. She felt sick, and her vision blurred as the tears finally seemed to manifest themselves._

 _Paulo was dead. Murdered. Gone forever._

 _She let out a sob that sounded strangled and tortured as she bent down to rest her head on her husband's chest; willing his heart to beat again, praying for a miracle._

 _"Please," She choked, closing her eyes and wailing miserably, not sure of whom she was speaking to but begging all the same. "Please, please."_

 _She was filling with rage at the injustice of the situation, and found herself welcoming the feeling as it brought respite from reality. She lifted her head from Paulo's chest and took a hold of the nearest object to him, throwing it heavily across the room._

 _A sense of relief came from this action and she picked up a glass bottle close by and threw it at the wall, watching as it smashed into tiny pieces._

 _And then she was stood up, seizing anything within arms reach and destroying it; only partially aware that she was screaming until her throat burned with protest._

 _Nothing was ever going to be alright again. Her life was over. She might as well be dead too._

She let out a loud gasp as she woke from her nightmare, her heart surging painfully as she wrestled to untangle herself from the many blankets that had tightened around her in the night.

Unable to lift her hands to her face, she could not help but let out a small series of yelps and shrieks as she came out of her dream.

Tears began to trickle down her face and into her hair and she closed her eyes momentarily as the still clear images of Paulo's lifeless image rose to her memory. For a while she lay where she was and simply let herself cry, deeming it pointless to try and fight it for the time being.

Though she had hoped otherwise, she'd had a distinct feeling as she'd headed to bed that she would have bad dreams that night. She usually tried to keep memories and sad thoughts regarding Paulo at bay as best she could to avoid such things, but of course she had let everything lose with Ezio, and now she was suffering the penalty for it.

She sighed shakily, finally untangling her hands from her blankets and bringing them up to her face to cover her eyes momentarily. Would this ever pass? Even with the prospect of happiness on the horizon, she still suffered.

And although she was excited by the idea of pursuing her feelings with Ezio, she still felt incredibly conflicted about it in relation to Paulo.

She dropped her hands to her side, listening to the heavy thud of her heart in her ears as it slowly calmed itself down. She didn't particularly know how to feel now that the truth had been laid out between herself and Ezio.

Before, she had thought that she didn't want to move on from Paulo, but now things were tilting and changing in her mind at an alarming speed. Irritatingly, this only made everything more confusing.

She just wished she could find a way to truly deal with her emotions regarding Paulo, gain some closure as best she could. Ezio had said that sometimes such things took effort, and she wondered what kind of effort that would involve. She was already working hard to cope now, but nothing seemed to be changing.

After a moment, she remembered her brother's words about her disposition not having changed since moving to Rome, and his suggestion that she return to Venice with him.

Although she still felt he had been misguided in his words, she couldn't help but consider the suggestion now - perhaps going back to Venice would bring her some solace or closure?

She found herself immediately shying away from this idea. If her nightmares could bring her to tears with barely any effort, then what would the city where her pain had began do to her?

But - she couldn't help but realise as she turned onto her side, wetting her cheek on the tears which stained her pillow - surely things were already pretty bad? Perhaps Ido had not been so misguided in his statements.

She closed her eyes, though she knew it would be a long and arduous struggle to fall back to sleep, and decided to think more on this Venice idea tomorrow when she was in better senses. For now, she just needed to think of anything that didn't send her down a misery spiral.

Immediately, her mind went to what had taken place between herself and Ezio after their sharing conversation.

Though the tears were still wet on her face, she found herself giving a small smile as she very slowly dropped back into the realm of sleep.

* * *

The Rosa in Fiore was much busier than Isabella was used to seeing in the morning, and she chided herself for staying in bed so late to try and make up for the lost sleep she had gotten the night previous.

She knew being so late meant that she should probably get straight on with her chores and save a conversation with Claudia until later, but she needed her friend's advice; and there was always the chance of seeing Ezio too, something she didn't want to pass up.

Claudia was waiting in the foyer when Isabella entered, and greeted her enthusiastically with a large smile.

Despite her tired nature, and her remaining feelings of fragility from the night previous, she couldn't help but return the gesture - though rather weakly.

"Good morning!" The Madame said with a bright tone as the other approached. "I'm afraid you've just missed Ezio."

"Oh." Isabella felt a pang of disappointment at that information, and cursed herself once again for sleeping in so late. "Well, I'm sure I'll see him later."

She had to remind herself that it was Claudia she was there to see anyway.

The Madame's expression turned vaguely pleased.

"I want to hear all about yesterday." She said, taking the other's arm and leading them to her books in an unoccupied area of the large foyer. "How did it go?"

"Very well," Isabella replied, unable to help the vague smile on her face. "I told him everything, and he was incredibly kind and understanding about it - even after I got emotional."

"It would take a heart made of stone to expect you to stay composed in such conditions," Claudia replied, giving the other's arm a comforting squeeze. "I'm glad he understood, though I didn't doubt that he would."

"He told me how he felt too, and I him." Isabella continued, feeling a slight heat on her cheeks as she shared this information. "So now everything is out in the open."

She must have sounded slightly disingenuous, for Claudia frowned.

"So why do you look so concerned?" She asked carefully. "Did something else happen?"

Isabella shook her head.

"Not with Ezio no, I just...had a rather nasty nightmare last night. About Paulo."

Claudia's expression turned to one of understanding.

"That makes sense, if you were talking about him so much."

"Yes," Isabella agreed, swallowing back a small lump in her throat. "It just shook me up...made me feel confused."

The other tilted her head confusedly. "How so?"

"Well now I don't have the obstacle of not knowing Ezio's feelings on the matter, I now have to deal with the guilt of feeling the way I do about him."

She could sense the Madame was about to protest and quickly continued. "I know it's irrational. I know that I shouldn't feel guilty for feelings which are natural...but I do. And it's a struggle to decide what to do about it."

"I can imagine," Claudia replied with a sympathetic frown. "What can you do, do you think?"

"Well," Isabella heaved a large sigh. "I did think that maybe going to visit Venice for a while might do something. Going back to where it happened and all that. But...but that idea terrifies me, honestly. There's too much of a risk of it making me feel even worse."

Claudia stayed quiet for a moment before speaking somewhat tentatively.

"Can I be blunt?"

"Of course," Isabella replied, already knowing what the other would say but wanting to hear it anyway.

"I don't see how it can get worse," Claudia replied. "You're plagued by these nightmares. And though you do your best and things have improved somewhat, you're still struggling with the grief. Perhaps it is because you never really gave yourself a chance to feel things fully because you ran away?"

She reached over and squeezed the other's hand quickly. "Not that I'm blaming you at all, I understand why you did what you did. But maybe it's partially what's affecting you so?"

Though she hated admitting that these words were the truth, Isabella gave a feeble nod.

"I suppose that makes sense."

Claudia gave her a small but encouraging smile.

"Perhaps this would be a good thing, Isabella."

"I don't know," the other replied with a sigh. "I have the distinct feeling that if I tried to go I'd get halfway there before losing courage and turning right back."

"Maybe Ido can come fetch you?" Claudia suggested. "To give you courage and keep you distracted?"

"I don't know, he'll be very busy for a while I think." Isabella felt that she had kept her brother away from his work and friends a little too much these past few weeks, and asking him to come out again would be a little bit unfair - even if he had wanted her to go with him before.

Though perhaps she was simply making excuses not to go.

"Perhaps Ezio, then?" Claudia suggested, raising her eyebrows somewhat. "He travels all the time anyway. I'm sure he can find some business in Venice."

Isabella couldn't help but give a small laugh at her friend's meddling.

"That sounds a little too presumptuous considering we have only just begun to share feelings and the like."

Claudia waved her hand dismissively.

"Nonsense, I'm sure he'd be happy to help."

"I'm sure he would, but it's a lot to ask." Isabella replied with a rue smile. "And I haven't even decided if I'll go yet so don't say anything to him."

"I won't," Claudia replied with a fond expression. "But it is worth considering. And to reiterate my point, I really think going may be greatly beneficial to you."

The other heaved another large sigh, sitting down on a nearby armchair as she attempted to concoct some kind of plan in her head. It was hard to ignore the loud protests her brain made at the idea of going back to Venice at all - but she tried to consider it nonetheless.

"I shall think on it," she said after a while. "I'll decide in a few days."


	16. Chapter 16

Isabella felt the usual ebb of sadness wash over her as she parted from her patrons in the slums and began to make her way back to the Rosa in Fiore.

As she wondered whether this misery would ever cease (as she always did), she was quickly reminded of Claudia's words that morning - how perhaps things would change were she to go to Venice.

She had been quietly deliberating on the idea all day, writing a pro and con list in her head as she worked.

There were many good aspects that came with going. Seeing her brother was one, not to mention all of his thief friends whom had become like a strange little family to them both before Paulo's passing. She could also see her cherished hometown of Venice, a place she had missed terribly since her departure.

And of course, she could potentially gain some kind of closure on her grief - however small.

However the negative was potentially sinking further into her misery and never being able to get out again. She wished that she could gauge how she would feel if she went, but it was impossible to know.

But she did know deep down that the negatives were only a possibility rather than a definite reality.

She still felt as if she didn't want to go, but the misery which was still creeping up on her as she walked slowly back to the Brothel seemed to tap her on the shoulder, urging her to try.

It was probably a practical decision, she knew that. She only wished she had made her mind up a week earlier, and then she could have accompanied her brother there instead of contemplating going alone. It was going to be hard to keep herself distracted for that much time, and that's if she didn't lose courage and turn back halfway through the journey.

She could feel nervousness begin to bubble in her stomach as her decision to go solidified by the minute. She hurried her pace towards the Rosa in Fiore, wishing to discuss things further with Claudia before she lost courage.

The Brothel was unusually empty save for a few patrons and courtesans scattered around the foyer.

She made her way up the grand staircase towards Claudia's rooms and had placed her hand on the knob when the door opened in front of her, causing her to jump back slightly.

Ezio's gaze was behind him as he went to exit the room, and only at the last minute did he turn and notice Isabella stood directly in front of him, stopping in his tracks just before they were chest to chest.

"Isabella!" He said with a shocked and somewhat enthusiastic tone. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you there."

Isabella felt her heart surge excitedly, and she couldn't help but smile as she took a reluctant step back.

"No harm done!" She replied rather breathlessly.

"Isabella?" Claudia's voice sounded behind Ezio who seemed to be hovering despite clearly meaning to leave beforehand.

The Assassin turned to the side, extending his arm to gesture Isabella inside the room. She felt her stomach flutter as she passed him with a smile which he returned, his expression knowing.

Claudia gave a smile as the other entered. "What a coincidence, we were just talking about you!"

"Oh?" Isabella gave a look of mock-concern, turning her gaze from one sibling to the other. "Nothing bad, I hope?"

Ezio gave a chuckle. "I doubt Claudia could say a bad word about you if she tried."

"And what about you?" Isabella responded lightly with a slight grin, surprised by her own sudden flirting nature.

The Assassin gave her another knowing smile. "I admit I'd struggle also."

Isabella suppressed a girlish giggle at this. It was strange how differently she felt in Ezio's company compared to how she had felt just a few minutes ago. He made things feel lighter, easier.

She turned back to Claudia, resolutely ignoring the smug expression on her friend's face.

"So what was being said?"

"I was telling Ezio about your potential trip to Venice," the Madame replied. "And as it turns out, he has business there himself."

"Oh, really?" Isabella replied somewhat suspiciously. "What a coincidence."

Claudia continued nonchalantly. "Isn't it? Anyway, I thought if you were still planning on going, it may be good for you both to go together."

"Well I did tell you this morning that I wanted some time to decide," Isabella responded with a slight ebb of irritation with her friend, though it was light. "I also recall telling you to not mention it for now."

The Madame waved her hand dismissively. "Well Ezio told me about his affairs and so I thought it prudent to mention yours. I just want to see you safe should you plan to go."

"Claudia..."

The Madame made a sudden show of looking around the room.

"Can you hold that thought? I seem to have misplaced something." She said with a false air of breeziness. "I'll go find it, why don't you both discuss this idea whilst I'm gone?"

She quickly exited the room, but Isabella did not miss the pointed look she gave her brother as she did so.

Ezio's expression was rather comically apologetic as he turned his gaze to Isabella.

"Do you really have business in Venice?" Isabella asked with an exasperated and yet humoured tone.

The Assassin pulled a face. "Technically yes. But I admit Claudia is the one sending me to it."

Isabella gave a small scoff, unable to help herself laughing at the extents to which her friend would try and help her.

"I should stop telling her things."

"I think she believes she's helping," Ezio replied jokingly, shaking his head. "You get used to it after a while."

"I'm sorry," Isabella said quietly, still smiling wryly. "I wasn't planning on roping you into my plans."

"I don't mind," he responded with a small smile that sent shivers down Isabella's spine. "Are you actually planning on going?"

"I wasn't sure this morning," Isabella replied, her cheeks heating up slightly. "But I think I might be, after much consideration today."

"Well then," Ezio said with a semi business-like tone. "Why don't we go together?"

"That wouldn't be an inconvenience?" Isabella asked somewhat nervously, the prospect of what he was asking sending her body into waves of nervousness and excitement.

"Not in the slightest," the Assassin responded, taking a few steps into the room. He was close enough to touch and Isabella longed to reach out and do so, but forced herself to stay where she was. The last thing she needed was Claudia walking in on an intimate moment between them.

"I dare say I'd enjoy the company," Ezio continued. "That is of course, if you'd like to?"

"Of course," Isabella replied with a little more enthusiasm than she herself had expected. "I...I would very much like that."

He smiled at her words. "I'm glad. I can have everything arranged for whenever you'd like to go."

"Is Claudia's task not an urgent one, then?" Isabella asked jokingly, fighting to ignore the vast array of emotions she felt at the prospect of what she had agreed to.

Ezio gave a small chuckle, shaking his head with a roll of the eyes. "Not particularly, but I'm sure she'll say otherwise."

As if on cue, Claudia breezed into the room. Automatically, Ezio and Isabella took a small step back from each other as casually as possible.

"Found what you were looking for?" Ezio asked his sister with a somewhat teasing tone.

Claudia nodded, smiling somewhat smugly. "Yes, I did. Have you both discussed my idea?"

Isabella repressed the urge to roll her eyes at her friend's less than subtle nature.

"Ezio has most kindly offered to accompany me on my journey to Venice." She said with a knowing smile at the Assassin who returned it in kind.

"That's lovely!" Claudia replied rather enthusiastically. "When are you leaving?"

"I'll have to write to Ido and see what he has to say on the matter," Isabella replied. "But I can't imagine it'll take long to arrange."

"Good," Claudia replied with a nod.

Isabella grinned despite herself. "Honestly, it's as if you are trying to get rid of us both."

Claudia smiled shrewdly. "Perhaps I am. I do have a life outside of the two of you, you know."

"You do?" Ezio asked with a good-humoured tone.

The Madame laughed at her brother's joke, wrinkling her nose at him.

"Yes I do."

Both the Assassin and Isabella laughed appreciatively before the former once again made his way to the door.

"I should be off." He addressed his sister with a smile. "I won't be done until late so I'll see you tomorrow."

"Alright," Claudia replied cheerily, she seemed rather light after having got her way. "Take care."

"You too," Ezio replied before turning to Isabella with another smile that made her heart flutter. "Have a good evening, Isabella."

"And you, Ezio." She replied with a rather breathless voice. "Be sure to stay safe."

"Of course," he replied; and after giving a quick glance to Claudia who was looking down at the papers on her desk, he gave Isabella one last winning smile that made her fluttering heart thump heavily.

Once he had gone, it took a few moments for the giddiness to pass. Once it had, she was reminded of the momentous task ahead of her. She was going to Venice.

As terrifying a prospect as it was, she couldn't help but be cheered by the idea of such a long period of time alone with Ezio. That was something at least.

And she'd need something positive to hang on to.


	17. Chapter 17

_'Little one,_

 _You needn't ask, I'll have your old rooms made up right away. And do not worry about arranging a time, just come when you are able and send a message ahead - I'll be waiting with baited breath as to what changed your mind about coming._

 _Cannot wait to see you, I have just told Rosa about it as I write this and she is all smiles. I can only assume this is a good thing._

 _I would continue this letter by telling you about all the interesting things I've gotten up to this week, but I think I'll save it until you get here. That way I know you shall not back out of it._

 _Until then, much affection and excitement,_

 _Ido'_

Isabella heaved a sigh as she paced the outside veranda of the Rosa in Fiore, listening to the bustle of the streets as people began to pack up and go home for the day.

She had read her brother's letter several times in the past ten minutes, and yet in her anxiety she still found herself agitatedly going over it again and again as if in the hopes of finding something new.

Folding the letter in half, she let out another sigh, trying desperately to ignore the nervousness that made her heart leap every couple of minutes.

She and Ezio had arranged to leave for Venice the following day, and although Isabella had managed to wrestle with her thoughts and feelings to get to this point, she still felt as though she would back out at any moment.

She had no idea what was going to happen next, and couldn't fight the idea that returning to a place of such trauma would damage her beyond repair.

But she also knew she needed to do it eventually, there was no point in delaying the inevitable any further.

Her stomach fluttered with unpleasant butterflies for what felt like the hundredth time and she gave a small groan, trying and failing to concentrate on the positives. At least she would be travelling with Ezio, she told herself, that was something. And she would be soon in the company of Ido, and Rosa, and all the other thieves. It wasn't all terrible. And yet she couldn't bring herself to feel remotely cheered.

The sound of the door opening and shutting behind her made her turn, expecting to see Claudia. However, she was somewhat surprised to see Maria making her way towards her instead.

She smiled with as much brightness as she could muster.

"Hello Maria, are you feeling better?"

The other nodded with a small smile, though her expression was somewhat distant. "I wanted to come and find Claudia."

"I think she's inside," Isabella replied encouragingly. "Would you like me to help you find her?"

Maria's gaze turned out over the bushes that surrounded the veranda. She stopped walking and folded her hands serenely in front of herself.

"In a moment," she replied with a tone that matched her stance. "It's nice to get some fresh air."

Isabella gave the woman a fond smile, and turned her head to try and see what the other was looking at.

"It is," she agreed, unable to keep the nervousness from ebbing back into her as she spoke.

"Are you still leaving tomorrow?" Maria asked rather suddenly into the moment's silence.

"I am," Isabella replied, somewhat surprised that the other had remembered what she and Claudia had told her a few days previous.

"You must be nervous," the other responded with that sudden astute nature.

Isabella turned her gaze back to the woman, trying not to seem shocked.

"I...a little." She replied somewhat lamely.

The older woman took a step towards Isabella and grasped her hand in a strong but comforting manner.

"You'll be alright," she said rather vaguely with a kind smile. "It's hard, but you'll be alright."

Shock mingled with anxiety made Isabella's voice shake as she spoke.

"I hope so," she responded. Though she was unsure if the other knew what they were talking about or was just merely speaking coincidentally, she couldn't help but voice her concerns aloud. "I don't know how I'm going to handle it."

Maria's gaze turned to Isabella and to the latter's surprise, became incredibly cognitive.

"When I lost my husband, I didn't know how I could possibly survive." She said quietly, her tone sad but perfectly reasonable-sounding. "But I did, and as time went on I began to feel more and more like myself. It will be the same for you."

Isabella's own reply sounded distant through the shock of suddenly being engaged in this topic with a woman whose thoughts had seemed scattered not ten minutes ago.

"Everybody has told me that, but it's been two years and I still feel the way I do."

"It took me fifteen," Maria responded, squeezing the other's hand again. "But it is different for you. You are young, and you have more that might help you move on."

Isabella furrowed her eyebrows, unsure of what the other meant.

"I don't understand."

"My son is very fond of you," Maria replied with a knowing, motherly smile.

Isabella felt her cheeks heat slightly, and despite herself, she gave a small smile.

"I'm fond of him too," she replied.

"Good," the woman replied, finally letting go of the other's hand as her gaze turned distant and dreamy once more. "Good."

"I am going to miss you terribly," Isabella half-whined, stepping forward and embracing her friend for what seemed like the hundredth time.

Claudia's responding hug was warm. "And I you."

"Are you sure-" Isabella began but was immediately interrupted.

"I will be fine Isabella," the Madame responded with a fond but strict tone, already knowing what the other was trying to say. "You concentrate on yourself for the next few weeks, don't fret about me at all."

Isabella felt a familiar current of nervousness strike through her and she let out a shaky sigh.

"I'll do my best," she said, trying and failing to sound enthusiastic.

Claudia gave the other an encouraging smile before turning around to look for her brother who was still arranging the saddles on the two horses which would take he and Isabella to Forli.

After a few moments of tightening straps and adjusting footholds, he made his way back over to the two women.

"All set?" Claudia asked him encouragingly and once again Isabella felt a squirm of nervousness in her stomach.

The Assassin nodded. "The luggage is already in transit, all that's left is for us to follow it."

"Be sure to send a message when you get there," Claudia responded, opening her arms to her brother and embracing him warmly. "And be safe."

"Always am," Ezio replied with a fond smile over her shoulder. "Take care of Mother."

"Of course," said the Madame. After a few moments she parted from him and turned back to Isabella with a smile. "Take care of my brother, Isabella." She said playfully, clearly trying to keep the other's spirits up. "As you already know, he's a liability to himself."

Isabella could not help but laugh despite her anxiety.

"I shall guard him with my life."

Next to his sister, Ezio gave Isabella a fond smile which made her nervous insides flutter with an all-too different feeling. At least he would be with her, that was something.

Claudia turned her gaze from both Ezio to Isabella fondly, silent for a moment before jumping back into her brisk, business-like manner.

"Right, now go on you two - or you'll not arrive until next week!"

Isabella had hoped vaguely that once she and Ezio had started the journey, her anxiety would lessen somewhat. However, with each step that her horse took on the path, it seemed to build in strength until she was unable to keep up with the light conversation between herself and her companion.

After a few minutes silence in which Isabella found herself repeatedly turning back to look at Rome in the far distance, Ezio spoke rather gently.

"Are you alright?"

She immediately turned to look at him with an apologetic smile, her stomach still fluttering unpleasantly.

"I am, I'm sorry. Just a little nervous."

He nodded with an understanding expression.

"There is nothing worse than a long journey ahead of something you're dreading."

She nodded along with a grim smile. "Indeed."

There was a brief moment of silence before he spoke again.

"Isabella-" he paused, seeming to pick his words carefully. "Forgive the prying, but why are you forcing yourself to do this? You've seemed rather anxious about it since we first set a date to leave."

Isabella grimaced as she racked her brain, it was hard to counter such a question when she had been asking it to herself all week.

"Well...firstly, Claudia forced me."

Ezio gave a pleasant laugh that made her smile despite herself.

"Alright," he replied. "I can see why you'd struggle to argue with that."

"Secondly," she replied, giving another rue smile before sobering once more. "There's some unfinished business I want to deal with."

She heaved a sigh, the anxiety filling her again. "I've not been back to Venice since...since Paulo passed away, and I feel that I've been bottling up many of my feelings because I've never received the closure that could come from being back where...where it all happened. Does that make sense?"

"It does," Ezio replied, his tone understanding. "I remember it was a while before I could return to Florence after what happened to my Father and Brothers. And then again with Cristina..." he trailed off for a moment before continuing. "But I remember there was some catharsis in returning."

Unconsciously and wracked with sympathy, she found herself wishing she could reach out and hold his hand - something which was nigh impossible when they were both on horseback.

"It helped, then?" She questioned gently. "Going back?"

"Well, in truth there are still some places that are hard for me to walk through - but that could be said of many things." He gave her a small smile. "But yes, it did help. No matter what happened, I still have thousands of other memories of my birthplace, and it was good to go and remember it not just as a place of loss but also a place of many happy times."

Isabella felt the knot in her stomach ease somewhat as she contemplated his words. Just as she had when he had first told her of his own hardships, she found herself remembering that the man next to her had suffered very similar to herself, arguably worse, and yet he was relatively fine; able to laugh and joke and live his life.

Perhaps Venice was not the place of torment she was imagining it to be. Perhaps it would be cathartic.

"Have I helped somewhat?" Ezio asked gently as Isabella continued to be lost in her thoughts.

"You have," she replied, turning to look at him again with a more relaxed smile. "Genuinely. Thank you, Ezio."

"Not at all," he responded, returning her gesture. "And if I am completely wrong, we shall immediately turn around and go home. I promise."

Isabella gave a rue grin despite herself. "What of Claudia's errand for you?"

He chuckled. "I shall face her wrath with open arms."

"Now that is brave, I've never encountered such chivalry," Isabella replied with a light giggle, her heart quickening slightly as her anxiety lessened.

The journey from there on was a little more enjoyable. Isabella and Ezio kept up a steady conversation, and she found herself forgetting her anxiety as they did.

The two of them travelled throughout the day, only stopping once to eat at a random tavern before moving on again. They were both in agreement that it was simpler to get to Forli as quickly as possible rather than making continuous stops and although it was rather tiring being on horseback for the majority of the day, Isabella found herself enjoying the travel.

It was beginning to get dark when they finally arrived at Forli docks, where a boat was already waiting to take them to Venice.

Isabella felt a little of the wobble come back into her as Ezio helped her down from her horse.

He gave her a comforting smile, clearly able to read her anxious expression by now.

"Do not worry," he said gently, and despite her anxiety she couldn't help but be aware of his hands still at her waist from helping her down. "You'll be fine."

She resisted the urge to step forward a little more into his arms, very aware of their public setting, and instead settled for a shaky smile.

"I hope so," she half whispered. "Lead the way."

Getting onto the boat, the two of them parted temporarily as Ezio went to speak with the Captain and check on their luggage. Isabella immediately made her way to the barrier edge of the ship and looked out into the vast waters ahead of her, trying to let the sound of the moving sea comfort her.

She was so close, soon she would be home. Hands beginning to shake, she firmly grasped the wooden barrier in front of her, trying to remind herself of what Ezio had said earlier that day.

After a while the Assassin returned, mimicking her stance and looking out to the water.

"The Captain hopes it will not be a long journey," he said quietly. "But he cannot promise anything as the water ahead is a little choppy."

Isabella nodded, heaving a deep breath to steady herself.

"Alright."

Next to her, Ezio shifted slightly and placed his hand on top of hers in a comforting gesture. Despite herself, she felt her heart-rate quicken for reasons that were not anxiety alone.

He did not speak for the moment, seemingly letting her collect herself somewhat. Slowly, the ship began to move away from the docks and she was glad of the other's touch which made her feel a little more strong.

"I've come this far," she said after a few moments, trying to give herself some courage. "And at any rate, nothing could be as bad as I have imagined, can it?"

He gave a small chuckle. "No, that's true."

She turned to him with a shaky smile, grateful for his easy nature.

"Thank you for coming with me Ezio, I doubt I would have had the courage to make it this far without you."

He returned her smile fondly, squeezing her hand under his momentarily.

"There's no need to thank me. I am happy to help, always." He expression and tone became slightly playful as he continued. "Though, this does mean something terrible."

Isabella gave him an inquisitive look. "What?"

"Claudia was correct in forcing us together in this way."

Isabella felt her worry lessen as she laughed at his words.

"I think you might be right," she shook her head. "We must vow to never tell her so."

"She'll know anyway," Ezio replied with a mirthful laugh.

Isabella nodded with another giggle before sobering somewhat as she surveyed the Assassin fondly.

"I am grateful to her though," she said with a surge of courage, though she turned her gaze out to the moving water ahead of her, watching as Forli became smaller and smaller in the distance. "Even with this anxiety, I've enjoyed your company greatly."

"As I have enjoyed yours," Ezio responded immediately, and Isabella felt his hand squeeze hers again, making her heart thump even more heavily.

Turning her gaze back to him with a smile, she resisted the urge to lean up and kiss him as she had had to for the past week. It was becoming harder and harder to refrain, but it was not something she wished to do on a public boat.

She settled instead for turning her hand upwards to entwine their clasp, enjoying the sensation of his palm against hers.

Ezio smiled, dropping his gaze to their hands before looking back out at the ocean.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Hello! Sorry it's been so long since I posted a chapter, I've recently started a new job which has eaten up all of my time - but here we are now! Thank you so much for your reviews and support, it's really made my day to see how well received this little fic is!**

 **Okay, into the story!**

* * *

The hours seemed to pass at a glacial pace as Isabella's nervousness ebbed in and out like the waves around them.

The water was choppy, making it difficult for their ship to move quickly towards their destination, and thus they were stuck in the middle of the ocean with no destination in sight.

To keep herself from going mad with anticipation, Isabella kept the conversation flowing as much as possible with Ezio, and he kept up with an easy grace.

They talked about many things; travel, politics and books, and after a while the topic fell on family.

"What was Claudia like as a child?" Isabella asked after the Assassin had mentioned a memory of his sister as a baby. "I cannot picture it."

"Boisterous," Ezio replied with a fond laugh to himself. "And very highly strung. I'm slightly ashamed to admit that my brother Federico and I would often antagonise her for her ability to lose her temper at the slightest thing. But she became less so after we left Florence. I think working for my Uncle changed her somewhat."

He paused, suddenly looking rather pensive.

"I can't be sure, I spent so little time with her then."

Isabella squeezed his hand which was still in her own, detecting guilt in his tone.

"You're making up for that now though," she said encouragingly, turning her body towards him so as to get the point across better. "You visit so often now, I don't think you've missed an evening with Claudia and Maria since you and I first met."

He glanced to her with a small smile that sent a shiver down her spine, before dropping his gaze to their entwined hands.

"Thank you for saying so," he muttered.

"Of course," she replied, moving herself closer to him instinctively. Gently, she turned herself towards the water ahead of them and rested her head on his shoulder - partially wishing to comfort him in a small way, but also wishing to be closer to him.

They stayed that way for a small while, listening to the gentle sound of the sea lapping against the boat, and for just a few moments Isabella felt the unfamiliar sensation of being truly content.

"I think I can see the Campanile Di San Marco," Ezio said quietly into the silence, squeezing her hand as he did so.

Isabella lifted her head, her heart racing as she searched for the tower in the distance. Sure enough, there it was in the misted horizon, and even though she was dreading her destination still, she found herself feeling slightly warmed by the sight of her beautiful Venice.

"It hasn't changed," she said, trying and failing to sound light. "How...how long do you think it will take to get there now?"

"Not long," Ezio replied, moving back slightly from their spot to look at the sails of the boat before looking back at her with an encouraging expression. "Try not to fret, it will be alright."

Isabella heaved a deep breath, trying to gain her courage.

"And you sent a message ahead to Ido?"

"I did, I wouldn't be surprised if he's waiting for you at the docks."

That thought cheered Isabella somewhat, and she took a few more deep breaths as the floating city came closer and closer. Not long now, she told herself, not long now.

It seemed to take forever for the boat to move into the docks. As they steadily got closer and closer to the city, Isabella spotted monuments and little buildings that had left her memory since she had been gone. Memories seemed to flood back, both bad and good; and she stayed silent to comprehend them.

Her heart felt strange, a mixture of excited and terribly nervous - and it thumped diligently against her chest, making her somewhat light-headed and weak.

The length of time it took to dock dragged for what felt like an age, so much so that Isabella couldn't help but feel vaguely relieved when she finally stepped off the vessel and onto steady ground. She tried to hold onto the feeling as she passed her gaze around the docks in search for Ido, attempting to ignore the wave of memories that came from simply being in this one place.

Next to her, Ezio took her hand briefly, squeezing it softly and smiling encouragingly when she turned to him in response.

"Feeling okay?" He asked carefully.

After a moment she nodded, giving him a small, shaky smile.

"I think so, though I don't see Ido."

"Then you're not paying attention," a voice behind her piped up, making her jump somewhat.

Regaining herself, she turned around with a rue smile and immediately opened her arms to her brother who was grinning jovially at her reaction.

"Hello sister," he said with a happy tone, enveloping her in a strong hug. "It's been so long."

She couldn't help but giggle into his shoulder at the joke. "I'd forgotten what you looked like."

"Likewise, I was sure you were prettier, but it appears time has rotted my memory."

Isabella gave him a playful shove as they parted from the hug, making him laugh again - he was clearly in his element.

Turning to Ezio, he held out his hand rather enthusiastically.

"And Ezio! It's good to see you again!"

"And you," Ezio replied with a warm smile, shaking the other's hand. "I trust you're well?"

"Very well," Ido responded conversationally. "Thank you for sending the message ahead."

"Of course," the Assassin responded.

"I trust the journey was fine?" He continued, turning his gaze to the both of them.

Isabella nodded with a small smile. "It was."

"Good, well then we should probably begin to make our way back. It's getting dark." Ido turned to Ezio again with a welcoming smile. "Will you be joining us, Ezio?"

The Assassin shook his head with a hint of regret in his eyes.

"Unfortunately I cannot, I have some business to attend to. I promised my associates that I would deal with some things whilst here."

Isabella felt herself deflate at this somewhat. She had rather hoped that coming here together would have meant more time with Ezio, and had become rather attached to his company over the past 13 hours.

"Oh," she said quietly, unable to keep the disappointment out of her voice. The Assassin gave her a small, regretful smile.

"Well I'm sure we'll be seeing you soon, then?" Ido continued rather breezily, seemingly somewhat amused by Isabella's put out expression. "You mustn't stay away."

"I won't, I promise." Ezio replied with a fond smile.

"Alright, well I'll just deal with Isabella's luggage and let you two say your goodbyes." Ido responded with that same breezy tone. It was difficult for Isabella to not throw him a look of confusion at his behaviour, she was still not used to her brother being so accommodating regarding her love life.

"I hope to see you soon, Ezio!" He held out his hand again. "Take care."

"And you," Ezio replied with equal warmth.

Isabella watched Ido move out of earshot, though she couldn't help but notice that he kept throwing frequent glances her way. Resisting the urge to scoff with a mixture of amusement and irritation, she turned back to the Assassin.

"How're you feeling?" He asked her again before she could speak, covertly reaching forward and taking her hand as he had earlier. She felt her heart surge with a series of emotions.

"I'm...I'm not quite sure, truthfully." She replied, glancing around at the docks. Her stomach felt nervous and her heart raced, and yet there was an element of happiness that came from coming home after such a long time of being away. However, she knew that there would be a fresh memory of Paulo every time she turned a corner, and it was hard to assess whether she could handle that.

Ezio squeezed her hand softly, pulling her slightly closer to him in the process.

"It'll be hard at first," he said as if reading her mind. "But it will get easier, I promise."

She nodded, biting her lip as she reminded herself yet again that the Assassin was speaking from experience, and he was right. It would get easier, she just needed to try.

"You...you won't stay away long, will you?" She asked, irritated by her own somewhat needy tone and yet unable to help it - he had been something of a pillar of strength for her and it was hard to let go.

He shook his head. "I'll do my utmost best not to."

"Good," Isabella replied with a shaky smile, trying to lift her own spirits. "Otherwise I might miss you."

The Assassin gave her a roguish smile that made her heart surge even more. "Oh, I sincerely hope you do anyway. I can assure you the feeling would be entirely mutual."

Despite herself, she gave a small giggle, resisting the urge to step forward and completely close the space between them. She was very much aware of her brother's presence close by.

Ezio seemed to be on the same wavelength as he turned his gaze momentarily to Ido who was talking to one of the boatmen.

"I will see you soon, I promise." He said softly, lifting her hand to kiss it and sending shivers down her spine in the process.

"Be sure to take care," she replied, her voice wobbling slightly.

"And you," he replied, and then seemingly with some reluctance, he stepped away from her and let go of her hand. "Until next time."

"Until then," Isabella replied, trying to keep her tone light.

She watched him leave with a heaviness on her heart which only added to the strange mixture of feelings she had. She felt exhausted, not only had she gone through a wave of emotional turmoil, she had also travelled a very long distance, and it was beginning to take its toll.

Behind her, she heard her brother approach.

"You two seem to have made up," he said lightly, watching after Ezio with her.

Isabella couldn't help but smile ruefully at his words, turning around to face him as she spoke.

"Yes, things are much better now."

"I assumed so when I got the message that he was accompanying you," Ido replied with an encouraging smile. "You told him everything?"

She felt a stab of sadness as the question brought up the memory of reliving Paulo's death.

"I did," she said with a nod. "He was very understanding and insightful about the whole thing."

"I'm glad," Ido responded with another smile before turning around and putting his arm around her, jostling her playfully. "Come along dearest, you look exhausted and I've had your old rooms set up how you like them."

Walking to her childhood home was a strange sensation. On one hand, she was filled with countless memories that made her heart hurt badly - they walked past so many old haunts, so many places where she and Paulo had spent time.

And yet she also felt bursts of excitement, happiness and a strange feeling of relief at being here. Looking around at the city, she found herself wanting to see it all again, to see how much it had or hadn't changed.

In all her pain, she had forgotten just how much she loved Venice. It was her home.

"I think someone may be waiting inside, though I distinctly remember telling them you'd be tired." Ido said with an amused tone as they approached their well-lit childhood home. He gave her a smile. "I hope you don't mind."

Isabella couldn't help but smile back as she felt another surge of excitement. Speeding up, she entered through the front door with enthusiasm, once again feeling that rush of relief when she looked around the foyer of the place that had been her home for 23 years.

She didn't have much time to look around however as a figure rushed out of the sitting area and enveloped her in their arms.

"Bella!" Rosa's voice was full of infectious enthusiasm, and Isabella felt herself laughing merrily as she clutched onto her old friend.

"Dearest Rosa!" She said, clinging onto the other before parting to look her in the face. She felt a wetness on her cheek and realised that for the first time in a long while, she was crying with happiness. "I missed you so much! How are you?"

"I'm fine, look at you!" Rosa replied distractedly, looking over the other much in a protective, sibling-like manner. Gently, she reached up and brushed away the tears on Isabella's cheek. "Oh you look so well. I'm so glad."

Over Rosa's shoulder, Isabella spotted two more thieves, Ugo and Pietro approach. She waved enthusiastically, coming forward to hug them both each in turn.

"I'm so happy to see you all," she said with a teary voice, smiling so brightly and marvelling at the strange sensation that was crying whilst happy.

Ido, who was standing in the corner with a supremely fond expression on his face, gave a fake little scoff.

"If only I could garner such enthusiasm when I return from a long absence."

"You would, If you weren't so unbearable." Rosa teased, her words holding absolutely no weight as she gazed at Ido with incredible affection. Isabella turned her gaze to Ugo and Pietro and gave them both a swift, knowing smile which they both returned.

Though she was utterly exhausted, Isabella spent the majority of the night talking and drinking with her brother and her old friends. She couldn't remember the last time she felt so comfortable and safe, and marvelled at the feeling. The only thing that could've made it perfect was the presence of Ezio and Claudia.

Late into the night, nestled between Ido and Rosa on the comfiest of couches, Isabella felt herself sliding into exhaustion - and surrounded by the sounds of her brother and his friends talking happily about everything and anything, she drifted into a comfortable and happy sleep.


	19. Chapter 19

_She heard a knock on her window and immediately ran towards it, gently opening the shutters and looking out towards the trellis against the house where sure enough, Paulo was hanging precariously._

" _Quick, quick!" She whispered urgently, reaching down and tugging him upwards into the room - taking much care to not look down at the height he had climbed._

 _He heaved himself into the room with her help, and straightened up, looking around nervously as he did so._

" _It's fine," Isabella assured him. "I've dismissed the servants for tonight, and Ido is on a mission of some sort."_

 _Paulo gave her a somewhat apprehensive smile, approaching her and placing his hands at her waist._

" _Are you sure you want to do this?" He asked gently, leaning closely to nudge her nose with his affectionately. "I don't mind waiting."_

" _We're going to be married in less than a month," Isabella countered, her heart beginning to thump with excitement as she moved forward and pressed her body to his in a somewhat provocative manner. "Why not...get a head start?"_

" _My my, how brazen of you, Miss Mancini." He grinned, his grip on her waist tightening somewhat._

 _She giggled, her voice wobbling with nerves and excitement. Taking his hand, she slowly led him towards the bed._

There was a gentle knock on the door, and Isabella's eyes fluttered open - her heart immediately full of sadness.

"Miss Isabella?" The voice belonged to Ariana, one of the house servants. "You asked me to wake you."

Isabella pulled herself upwards into a sitting position on the bed, her eyes bleary.

"Yes, thank you." She called out thickly, slumping over her knees for a moment, her heart still heavy.

A week had passed since she has arrived in Venice, and as expected when surrounded by constant memories of him, she had been dreaming of Paulo non-stop. During the daytime, it was easy to distract herself from the constant onslaught of memories and emotions, but at night there was no hiding from her own mind.

She missed him so terribly. Being in the place where they had began and ended their love story was an incredibly painful process, and she found herself struggling to truly address the pain when out with her brother or his friends. She also struggled to be alone, and resolutely refused to leave the house without an escort to keep her distracted and give her ample excuses to not visit certain extra-painful locations.

It did not help much that she had neither heard from or seen Ezio in the entire week that they had been here. She knew she needed to tone down her feelings of clinginess right away - he was a well-travelled Assassin after all; but it was hard to not feel miserable after being away from him for such a time.

Sighing heavily, she wrenched herself out of bed, avoiding eye contact with the window which she had just dreamt about and trying desperately hard not to remember the first time she and Paulo had slept together. It had been a beautiful night, and she hated thinking of it with any sadness.

At breakfast, she worked hard to maintain a happy demeanour, and talked animatedly with her brother on plans for the day. However, her cheery facade was broken somewhat when he told her he had to work that day.

"Is that alright?" He asked, a spasm of concern crossing his face as Isabella visibly wilted.

"Of course!" She replied with an overly breezy tone, righting herself immediately. "I didn't come to interrupt your work."

He narrowed his eyes at her somewhat suspiciously. "Are you sure? I can try and get out of it if you'd rather I stayed."

"Don't be silly," Isabella replied with that fake tone, placing a grape in her mouth and chewing it with some effort. "It's fine."

He surveyed her for a moment, his expression still suspicious.

"What's wrong?" He asked, his tone gentle.

"Nothing," Isabella responded automatically, fixing her eyes on the food in front of her to avoid looking at him. She had been having such a lovely time with her brother lately, the last thing she wanted to do was ruin it by bringing up sad things and making herself depressed again.

She jumped slightly as Ido's hand reached over and touched hers comfortingly and felt a lump form in her throat at the gesture. This feeling brought her a second of irritation - she was so tired of crying.

"Look at me, Isabella." Ido's tone reminded her of her mother's kind but authoritative voice, and she complied to it despite herself - hoping that there were no tears in her eyes.

She felt his hand squeeze hers gently. "Tell me what's wrong."

"It's nothing," Isabella responded with a false smile. "Honestly, nothing you haven't heard before, anyway."

"I thought you were feeling better?" He asked kindly, his eyes full of concern.

"I was. I am," Isabella replied, turning her gaze to the ceiling as tears pricked in her eyes. "I'm just...I guess I'm still struggling to be alone here. Every time I am, all these bad feelings come flooding back."

"Well that's to be expected," Ido replied knowledgeably, leaning forward a little on the table. "There's a lot of memories here, you said that yourself when I first suggested you come back."

"It's not as bad as I thought though," Isabella assured him quickly. "Truthfully, I had expected to not want to leave the house at all. But it's still a little too much whenever I'm alone."

Ido shifted in his chair, seemingly choosing his words.

"Well...truthfully little one, you were like that in Rome too."

Isabella shook her head. "It's different here, it's more...blatant."

Ido hesitated.

"Can I be frank with you?"

"Aren't you always?" Isabella half-heartedly joked back, feeling a stab of nervousness.

He gave her a small smile before heaving a sigh and looking up to the ceiling with contemplation.

"I think you're placing too much on Venice," he said with a carefully kind tone. "You've convinced yourself that this place is the source of your pain when it's not."

Isabella furrowed her eyebrows at her brother, feeling a slight sting of hurt at this questioning of her feelings.

"That's not true," she countered, unable to keep the offence out of her tone. "I know the source of my pain isn't here. It's just that Venice is full of all these memories I'd forgotten and it's hurting me further."

"But it's not, Isabella." Ido's tone was once again very much akin to their mother's. "You haven't forgotten one thing about being here, and although being at the source of the memories does aid the hurt, it's not what's causes it."

He squeezed her hand again gently, his expression uncharacteristically serious.

"I think the reason it's taken you so long to recover from what happened is because you've pretended that running away to somewhere else has helped you somehow when it hasn't. You spent a year in Rome in complete misery, and it's only been recently that things have started to change. In the past few months, I've seen change happen in you that hasn't been caused by where you've been, but rather the attitude you've taken to move on and accept what happened."

He turned his gaze to the side momentarily before adding: "And some outside sources may have helped too."

Isabella sat in a stunned silence, feeling the lump in her throat grow as her brother continued to speak.

"You are the happiest I've seen in two years. Still having dreams and nightmares and bouts of sadness yes, but so much happier and healthier. You even look better, if you'll forgive me saying so." He gave her a small smile. "You're making progress Isabella, don't stop now simply because you've let yourself believe that it'll somehow get worse."

"But what if it does?" Isabella whispered urgently, a tear finally escaping and rolling down her cheek. "What if all the progress I've made suddenly disappears?"

"Little one," Ido leaned close, his expression once again serious. "I have seen you at your worst. The first weeks after Paulo's death I honestly thought you'd left me too - when you wouldn't eat or talk." He closed his eyes momentarily, clearly pained by the memory. Gently, Isabella turned her hand and squeezed his.

"But you're so far away from that now," he continued. "There's no way you could go back."

Isabella felt her heart thump with emotion, and lifted her free hand to catch the steady stream of tears on her cheeks.

"You...you really think so?" She asked somewhat pathetically, her voice shaking with emotion.

"I do," Ido replied with an encouraging smile. "You're stronger than you think, dearest."

Unable to help it, she gave him a watery smile as she took a napkin from the table and dabbed her eyes with it. She knew her brother's advice was sound, but found herself unsure on how to act on it.

"What do you think I should do?" She asked, sniffling still. "What's...what's the best way to deal with my feelings?"

Ido tilted his head, looking at her affectionately. "Just feel them as best you can. Don't shy away from them."

"Easier said than done," Isabella replied with a grim smile. "But I know you're right."

Ido let out a small laugh. "Can I get that in writing?"

Despite herself, Isabella gave a watery giggle, extending her arm to shove him playfully.

The two sat in silence for a moment before she turned to look at him with a fond expression.

"Just when did you get so knowledgable?"

Ido grinned, clearly cheered by her slowing of tears.

"Around the time that my sister decided she'd like to spend all her time with the most notorious Assassin in Italy."

Isabella rolled her eyes, laughing again as she mopped up the last of her tears.

She was beginning to know what she had to do now - and though it would be painful, she knew it was what was best for her.

"Shall I walk with you to...where was it you have to go?" She questioned, finally letting go of her brother's hand to dab her eyes and finish what little breakfast she had left.

"The docks," Ido replied with a roll of the eyes. "There's some issues with some of Antonio's shipments and we need to keep the guards away."

"Nothing too dangerous, I hope?" Isabella asked, glad of the turn in the topic.

"Somewhat, but nothing life-threatening. Don't worry," he gave his sister a smile. "I've been working hard to keep myself out of trouble."

"A full time job, I'm sure." Isabella responded, feeling a little lighter and more herself.

Later that day, the two of them set out towards the docks - though Isabella had assured Ido that she would not follow him all the way and get herself into any danger.

Whilst she chatted to her brother about his daily life, she hatched out a plan in her head. She needed to let herself feel things properly - after all; that's what she'd come here to do. And she knew the first location she needed to go to.

After saying goodbye to Ido just short of the docks, she turned a corner and headed north, trying to ignore the diligent thump in her chest as she tried to remember the way to her destination.

After a few wrong turns, she finally found herself in the correct place.

The building Isabella had trained to be a doctor in was in need of serious renovation. She felt a sad ache in her chest at the sight of the once illustrious business completely empty, and vaguely wondered after her old mentors - hoping that they were prospering in other parts of the city.

Stepping forward, she glanced around the empty street nervously before standing on tiptoe and running her hand over the tall door ledge. Sure enough, as it had been when she had worked here, a key still sat atop the ledge - though it was heavily rusted by weather and neglect.

It took a few attempts and a couple of shoves with her shoulder, but after a minute or two, Isabella finally had the door open.

She wasn't really sure why she had chosen this place as the first on her journey, but it felt right to be here. This is where Paulo had found her after Carnevali. This was where he'd first told her he loved her.

Taking a series of deep breaths, she stepped forward and into the building, closing the groaning door behind her.


	20. Chapter 20

She could already feel the tears threatening to fall as she stepped into the small room. It was empty save for a few broken glass jars and rotted fragments of parchment, but still recognisable from the time that Isabella had trained and worked here.

She was careful not to touch any of the dusty surfaces as she slowly moved around the counters, feeling like she was searching for something but unsure as to what it was - all while her heart thumped painfully against her chest.

She had spent the majority of her adult life here, having trained to be a doctor after her mother's untimely death. At the time it was merely a welcome escape from the pain of loss, and she had been recommended the career-path by the doctor who had treated her mother's illness. But after a few months of initial struggle, she learnt more and more and discovered a love of the craft until several years later, she was a doctor in her own right.

It had been whilst she was training that she had met Paulo. After the night at Carnevale where they had spent the majority of the night dancing together, they had been separated by several different factors and Isabella had thought with much sadness that she would never see him again.

It wasn't until a few weeks later that he showed up at her work, out of the blue, his demeanour eager and excited. Isabella closed her eyes as she remembered.

" _You...you're the man I met at Carnevale," she said,_

 _feeling rather stupid as soon as the words left her lips - he knew who he was, he didn't need reminding_

 _He gave her a grin that sent her heart racing. She had quite forgotten just how handsome he was._

" _Indeed I am," he replied with a roguish look. "Paulo."_

" _I know," she replied quickly, she had doubted she would ever have forgotten his name. "I remember."_

 _Across the room, Isabella's mentor Doctor Carlo turned from the notes he was writing to give her a pointed look that very clearly told her that she was still working, and visitors would not be permitted._

 _Paulo seemed to catch this look too, as he stepped forward and sat himself onto one of the counters with a false expression of anguish._

" _Alas Doctor," he said to her with a put-on raspy voice. "I think I may be very sick."_

 _Isabella had to stifle a laugh, bringing her hands up to her mouth and coughing to disguise the sound. Glancing at Carlo in the corner who had turned back to his notes with a somewhat exasperated expression, she moved forwards towards Paulo._

" _What are your symptoms?" She asked, unable to hide her amused smile._

" _Oh there's too many to count," Paulo replied with a grin before dropping his voice to a whisper. "It's good to see you again, Isabella."_

" _How did you find me?" Isabella whispered back, pretending to look at the jars of herbs and remedies next to him on the shelves._

" _I fear if I tell you I'd seem utterly insane," he replied jokingly before giving a very obvious fake cough for the benefit of Carlo in the corner._

" _Oh?" Isabella questioned, her curiosity peaking._

" _I went to a lot of trouble," he responded, turning his gaze to the ceiling in an expression of mock-embarrassment before turning it back down again._

" _Well now you simply must tell me," Isabella replied lightly, unable to help her heart from humming as their eyes met. "Or else I'll let my mentor be the one to treat you."_

 _He breathed a small laugh at her humour._

" _Alright, but you must not judge me."_

" _Is everything alright, Miss Mancini?" Doctor Carlo turned from his notes to look at Isabella and Paulo, his eyes suspicious. "You're taking your time, do you need any help?"_

" _No, no," Isabella replied with an overly breezy tone. In the corner of her eye, she could see Paulo hiding a smile behind his hand as he pretended to cough again. "I believe he just has a simple cold."_

" _Well give him a remedy and move onto the next patient, time is of the essence." Carlo replied sternly before picking up his notes and moving to the next room._

 _Isabella let out a tiny iota of the laugh she was holding in and turned back to Paulo with a somewhat stern expression that was ruined by the smile she couldn't quite get rid of._

" _Tell me, quickly."_

" _Well I remembered you telling me that you were training to be a doctor, and so I asked around if anyone knew of a female doctor in training in Venice. Despite there being not that many to choose from, it took me two solid weeks of questioning before finally someone pointed me in the direction of this place, and here you are."_

 _He had said all this rather quickly, and Isabella took a moment to absorb the information._

" _That does sound like an awful lot of trouble," she said, her heart thumping diligently again. "What would make you so eager to find me?"_

" _Well," he began before instantly pausing, his expression turning sheepish before flashing back to light-hearted. "I figured you'd still need a dance teacher," he said with a humoured tone._

 _Isabella felt a sting of disappointment for a moment._

" _Is that all?"_

 _Paulo opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted by Doctor Carlo who entered the room again, this time looking a little more stern._

" _Are you all finished?" He asked with a tone that suggested there would be repercussions if she were not._

 _Paulo hopped down from the counter quickly._

" _We are," he said respectfully. "And may I say, this young lady is a credit to your profession. I feel completely cured!"_

 _Isabella could not hide her mirth this time, and turned away as if to busy herself with the jars on the shelves._

" _I'll see you soon, I hope." Paulo muttered to her, and in her peripheral vision she saw his hand slide across the counter, a small piece of parchment underneath it which he left in front of her._

 _She scooped it up, watching Paulo pay Doctor Carlo and leave - not before turning back to give her a winning smile and a tiny wave._

 _Her legs felt a little weak, and she grinned to herself stupidly as Doctor Carlo welcomed in the next patient._

 _It was a long while before she was alone again, and finally, after checking that Doctor Carlo was busy with other things, she reached into her apron pocket where she had tucked the parchment and read it eagerly._

' _If you want to see me again, meet me by the docks tomorrow morning at nine._

 _I hope this to be the start of a great friendship._

 _Paulo Giorno.'_

 _She grinned to herself, unable to help clutching the tiny letter to her chest for a moment._

 _For the rest of the day, she was fuelled by one thought._

 _She was going to see him again._

Tears were streaming down her face now, and she closed her eyes more tightly, wishing she could stop them.

It was hard to remember such happy times. The excitement of seeing him again, of afterwards when they met regularly, of after that when they finally declared feelings. It hurt too much, she couldn't take it.

But she needed to let herself feel it. She had spent so long holding back, letting herself cry but never too much, never talking about it and constantly trying to distract herself with tasks or people. She'd never just let herself grieve.

Without meaning to, she cried out, the anguish in her voice reverberating around the empty room. All she could comprehend was emotional pain, and vaguely she felt her legs weaken as she sank to the floor, crumpling onto the dust with her hands over her face - wishing that she could just stop the hurt, wishing that she could bring him back.

Losing Paulo had been the worst experience of her life. Not only had she witnessed the violent and horrific assault that had ended his life, she had watched as his eyes glazed over and his chest had stopped moving. She had seen her beautiful, wonderful love slowly slip away from her with no means to control it. She had felt literally nothing for a few bleary weeks before her mind became overcome with nightmares and memories which made her want to die with the horror of it. She had suffered so horribly that she had torn herself away from her home, her family and her friends just to keep herself alive.

She had lost so much more than her husband.

And yet she was still here, she thought to herself as she half-lay on the filthy floor, the skirts of her dress being the only thing keeping dust from rubbing onto her cheeks and hair. She was alive, she had somehow survived it all; wasn't that at least something?

Not without Paulo, the pain in her heart said automatically, and yet she wasn't quite sure if she believed that anymore.

Paulo. Wonderful, passionate and caring Paulo. He wouldn't want her to feel this way, she knew that. He had died trying to keep her safe, and she knew in her heart of hearts that he would've considered her life worth the sacrifice - as she felt the exact same way about him.

Vaguely, a memory flitted back to her mind, his face as he lay slowly dying.

 _"I want you to find someone, I don't want you to be on your own."_

Her breathing hitched slightly as she contemplated this. He didn't want her to be alone, he wanted her to be happy. Why could she never remember that?

Everyone had always told her that he'd want her to be happy, and yet she'd never listened. But now she was beginning to realise it was true.

If he couldn't be with her, he'd want her to find happiness - as she would with him.

It was a long while before the stream of tears slowed, and even longer before she could haul herself upwards off the floor. She didn't know how long she'd been sat here, but as she rose upwards, her legs aching with stiffness, she looked out of the window and was surprised to see the sun lowering in the sky. And though her face and throat were aching from the emotional outburst, she smiled weakly to herself.

She knew she had a way to go still, this was simply the beginning of a long emotional journey. But she was starting to feel progress being made, even if she had merely taken a tiny step.

But she was beginning to feel ready to deal with it all, and after two years of doing the opposite of just that, it was a liberating feeling.

Patting down her dress which was now absolutely filthy, she heaved a deep and shaky sigh, bracing herself before stepping towards the door.

"From here on out," she said to the room, her voice ragged from effort. "I'm going to do my best to be happy."

She turned her gaze upwards momentarily, feeling a lump in her throat again, though this time the emotion was something a little more positive.

"I'm not always going to be successful," she said, feeling a little odd at speaking her feelings out loud like this and yet feeling that it was right to do so. "But I'll always try. For you, my love."

She placed her hand on the door handle, taking one last deep breath.

"I love you," she whispered before opening the door and stepping out into the street.


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Hello all! Sorry once again for the rather large delay. I'm struggling to wrap this one up so it may be a while before I finish it. I think it only has one or two chapters left! Thank you so much for all the kind reviews; it's so nice to have such a positive reaction to my writing!**

—

Getting back to Ido's house had taken longer than expected, given that Isabella had avoided many of the main paths in an attempt to hide her dress which had been ruined by sitting on a dusty, filthy floor. When she reached the house, she quickly requested for the servants to run a bath, and clamoured out of the clothing, unable to help feeling amused at just how dirty it had gotten in her outburst.

The bath felt wonderful, like she was washing away the last of her sad feelings for the time being, and when she emerged and dried herself off - she spent a little more time than usual picking a new dress to put herself in, knowing that Ido would most probably be entertaining friends later and therefore wishing to look presentable.

The dress she finally picked was one she had left behind after leaving for Rome, a beautiful red velvet piece which was much more pretty than practical.

Loosing her hair down from the knot she had put it in to keep it from getting wet, she ruffled it a little bit and found as she inspected her face that her brother had been right earlier that day, she did look better. Her tired eyes seemed less dark, brighter even; and her face was fuller. She reminded herself much more of the girl she had been before, and wondered vaguely at the fact that it had taken her this long to notice.

She left her hair loose, only pulling back the sides a little to frame her face nicely and keep it out of her eyes.

Standing up to admire the full effect in her long mirror across the room, she found herself pleased with her overall reflection, and marvelled quietly at the feeling.

It had been a long time since she'd thought herself pretty, and she made a mental note to keep this dress for the next time she saw Ezio.

Smiling to herself at the thought, she made her way out of her rooms and towards the library.

No sooner had she picked a book and nestled down into one of the comfier armchairs in the room, a small commotion of noise began from the foyer, and Isabella smiled as she listened to the chatter.

"I'm telling you he came at me directly," Ido's voice echoed amusedly from the hallway.

Isabella heard a scoff. "He was nowhere near you, you barely had to do anything." She recognised Rosa's voice.

"Need I remind you that I recently suffered from a chest wound?" Ido's response was mock-hurt and received a ring of several appreciative laughs that told Isabella that there was a group with her brother.

"Isabella?" Ido's voice rang out a little louder over the din. "Are you home?"

Isabella dropped the book she hadn't even managed to open onto the side table next to her chair and moved out into the foyer with a smile.

"I'm here," she said lightly, giving a little wave to the group which comprised of Rosa, Ugo, and two others she was not very familiar with. "And I see you have company."

As she had the day Isabella had first arrived, Rosa immediately stepped forward and hugged the other before anyone else could reach her.

"How are you dearest?" She asked, stepping back and taking in Isabella's look for the evening. "I love this dress, you look wonderful."

"Thank you," Isabella replied with a grin, dipping a mock curtesy at the compliment which made the other laugh. "I'm fine, very well actually." She darted a glance to Ido who's smile grew slightly. "How are you?"

"Oh I'm fine, though considering the trouble your brother got us in earlier, it's a surprise really." Rosa replied with a light tone and a roll of the eyes.

Isabella felt a stab of worry and turned to Ido. "What happened? You didn't hurt yourself, did you?"

"No, I didn't," Ido responded, throwing a somewhat annoyed expression at Rosa which didn't reach his eyes.

"We just had to deal with a few guards at the docks, that's all."

"Thank god Ezio was there," Rosa replied with a wicked grin. "Or else it could've been awful."

"Ezio was there?" Isabella asked, unable to help her excited tone. Attempting to be subtle, she glanced around the group in the hopes that the Assassin might emerge from them, but was disappointed to see nothing of the sort.

"How is he?"

"Oh he's fine," Ido said with another knowing smile to his sister before turning away and gesturing for the group to follow him into the living area. "And I suppose he was somewhat helpful."

"Somewhat helpful," Rosa repeated, shaking her head and lowering her voice to Isabella. "Dealt with all the guards single-handedly, in fact."

"Yes like I said, somewhat helpful." Ido replied with a chuckle as the others laughed at his words before crossing the doorway into the other room.

As Isabella made to follow her brother and the group of thieves into the living area, Rosa linked onto her arm and pulled her back slightly to slow her pace.

"You know," she began with a playful but lowered tone to keep the conversation solely between them both. "I had the distinct feeling that something was going on between you and Ezio, but nobody seems to want to share any information with me. What's going on there?"

Isabella felt her cheeks heat up somewhat. It was strange how she hadn't given it much thought before that moment, but now many memories were rising to the surface of her mind. Memories of a long time back when she had listened to her brother and Ugo tease Rosa about how well she got on with 'the Assassin Auditore'. At the time, Isabella had of course thought nothing of it, but now felt a strange mingle of worry, guilt and a hint of jealousy which felt completely alien when coincided with Rosa whom she had always felt nothing but adoration for.

"We...um..." Isabella was unable to find the words to say, and fixed her gaze to the floor. "I..."

After a brief pause, she felt Rosa's arm squeeze hers.

"If there was something going on, I'd be rather interested you know. In fact, I'd be very happy that two of my good friends have found a certain solace in each other."

Her cheeks still burning, Isabella rose her head to look at the other again.

"You're not angry?" She asked somewhat pathetically.

"Angry?" Rosa gave a fond chuckle. "Of course not. Ezio and I happened a long, long time ago. I've long since moved on and so has he."

Isabella did not miss the glance towards the group in front of them where her brother was talking loudly once again.

"And I did not ask for that reason anyway, I'm just incredibly curious and he was infuriatingly vague even though it was quite obvious."

"Obvious because Ido told you?" Isabella questioned the other with a weak but fond smile, a sense of relief washing over her as she realised her earlier feelings were unwarranted.

Rosa wrinkled her nose. "Partially, but also I know what you're like when you're smitten."

"Smitten?" Isabella repeated the term with a laugh, her heart thumping slightly. "I suppose that's a word for it."

"So what are the details?" Rosa questioned, squeezing the other's arm again as they walked so slowly it was pointless to bother.

"What details are you looking for?" Isabella replied with playful coyness, feeling herself return to her normal demeanour.

"Oh come now, don't pretend to be shy about these things, you know I hate that. What's going on between you both? Have you and him...?" She trailed off, raising her eyebrows to finish the question.

Isabella felt another blush heat her face and she kept her gaze on her brother ahead of them both, praying that he could not hear them.

"I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about," she replied with more vague answers, she did not want to have this conversation at all, let alone in a crowded hallway.

"Oh Isabella, you need to stop being so prudish. It's perfectly natural-"

Isabella let out a little splutter of embarrassment which caused some of the group ahead to look backwards at her, and she quickly wheeled Rosa away from them to hide her mortified face.

"No!" She half-whispered, unable to help an embarrassed laugh from exiting her. "No Rosa, we haven't even kissed yet, let alone...anything else."

"Oh?" The female thief pulled a curious expression, seemingly ignoring the end of the other's sentence. "Why not?"

"Well..." Isabella considered the question. "I didn't even admit I liked him for a while. And then when I did I had to tell him about Paulo which doesn't exactly inspire passion. And I suppose we simply haven't had a chance since then."

"You told him about Paulo?" Rosa asked, her eyes widening a little.

Isabella nodded. "Of course, it seemed right to do so."

Rosa stayed silent for a moment, gazing at the other intently.

"You know, forgive me if it's rude to say so but you seem so much more..." she trailed off, her eyes turning upwards as she found the right words. "Together. I remember when I visited you last year you could barely talk about him - now look at you."

Isabella gave a faint smile, remembering once again how far she'd come. "It's been difficult, but I think I'm getting there."

"I'm very glad," Rosa replied, leaning forward to give the other a fond kiss on the cheek. "You deserve to be happy, little one."

"What are you two whispering about?" From the other room's doorway, Ugo stopped and turned to look at the two women with a curious expression. "We're starting to feel left out over here."

"As you should," Rosa replied cheekily with a grin at the other, directing Isabella towards the others via their linked arms.

For the next hour Isabella sat with her brother and the others, listening to their stories fondly and feeling the most relaxed she had felt for a while. It had been a long and arduous day, and as more time passed she felt more and more of a true difference in herself. She felt lighter, happier; and, she thought with a smile to herself, if this was the way she felt after only one day of self-recollection, it was a good omen to the future.

A little while into the evening, Ido moved from his seat and came to sit next to her, giving her a playful nudge with his shoulder as he did so.

"How are you? I haven't had a chance to ask." He questioned, his voice quiet enough for only Isabella to hear.

She gave him a little smile. "I'm better actually. After our conversation earlier I decided to have a little wander around and see if I could get some grip on my feelings."

"And?" Ido pressed, looking curious.

She explained the process of going to her old work place and coming to terms with her grief as she did so. As she spoke, Ido's smile turned sympathetic, and then optimistic, and he placed his arm around her to give her a gentle squeeze.

"I'm so glad," he said with sincerity. "It's good to see you even more like yourself."

"Good to feel it too," Isabella agreed with a smile, resting her head momentarily on his shoulder. "Thanks for the push."

"Any time," Ido replied, kissing the top of her head fondly.

Over the sounds of the group in the room, a loud knock from the main door echoed towards them, and Isabella looked at Ido inquisitively.

"Are we expecting anyone else?"

He gave a small smile. "We are, actually."

She felt a sense of trepidation as he rose from his seat and walked to the foyer to greet the mystery guest who was being let in by one of the servants. She could hear more than one male voice and felt her heart begin to beat a little faster, trying to not hope too hard that it was who she thought it was, just in case she was wrong.

The first guest entered the room, and she felt a sense of disappointment which was immediately quashed as she recognised his face and distinctive hairstyle.

"Isabella!" Antonio's gaze met her first, and his voice rang loudly. "How lovely to see you!"

"Antonio!" She replied with a matching enthusiasm to his own despite her surprise. Rising from her seat she extended her arms to him graciously. "It's been a while!"

"Too long!" The thief walked forward and placed his hands in hers, dropping a kiss on each of her cheeks much in the way a father would. "How are you?"

"I'm well," Isabella replied fondly. "Very well, and yourself?"

He rolled his eyes in a look of mock-contempt. "I'm busy, as always. But I thought I might take a short break to come see you and your brother."

He turned his gaze back to the foyer behind him.

"Plus Ezio here did not know the way to your home, and so I thought it best to show him. Last thing we'd want is a lost Assassin loose in our fair city!"

She followed the other's gaze and felt her heartbeat quicken to almost ridiculous levels. It was with much effort that she stayed where she was and waited for him to approach her, resisting the urge to run forward and into his arms.

The Assassin was as handsome as ever, and as their gaze met he gave her a winning smile that made her head feel light. He walked forward into the living area, followed by Ido.

"Ezio," Isabella's voice was involuntarily breathless and she felt somewhat light-headed as he approached her. "How lovely to see you."

He reached out and took her hand, placing a swift kiss upon it and making her stomach flip pleasantly in the process.

"It's wonderful to see you too," he said quietly, his eyes twinkling somewhat as they took in her appearance.

She was suddenly very glad she had made such an effort.


End file.
